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From:
AdaWorks <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Thu, 1 Jun 2000 07:44:11 -0700
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Nice list of activities from ARA.  Perhaps we who are active
in the Ada community and taking on the role of Ada advocates
would be encouraged by a scheduled, periodic update of the
ARA initiatives.

I think the participation in various conferences by the combined
ARA/SigAda booth has had a salubrious effect on the image of Ada
among non-Ada users.  Keeping the web site current and interesting
is also a notable achievement.

That being said, ARA cannot do this all alone.  Its membership is
limited to a small group of compiler publishers whose agenda seems
narrowly defined.  It has not shown any interest in opening its
membership to anyone not publishing Ada compilers.  The more open
organization is the sponsor of this forum, ACM and SigAda.

It seems to me there is a need for a parallel effort at the proverbial
"grass roots" level, an effort not necessarily guided or controlled
by either SigAda or ARA.  SigAda is constrained by a set of rules
prescribed by its parent organization and cannot easily stray from
those rules.  ARA is constrained by a charter that excludes participation
from outside its own closely-knit group, except by invitation.

It does seem strange that such a small organization has so much trouble
getting a public relations program in place.  Perhaps it is a function
of limited time and limited funds.   The simple act of placing an
occasional press release regarding advances in the use of Ada seems
so simple.  Where is the press release about the NY City Transit System?

Team-Ada, as of this writing, seems to have few contraints.  The list is
voluntary, members are concerned with promoting Ada, and most of the
subscribers seem to be intelligent and articulate.  We are in a position
to write articles, deliver seminars, and create our own promotional
materials to advance the awareness of Ada in both the DoD and non-military
community.

Is there an Ada class at your local community college?  If not, why not
propose one for the evening schedule?  Do you read Computerworld?  Why
not send a letter to the editor now and then?  The same for IEEE Computer,
Software Development, or Embedded Systems Programming.  Not every piece
of writing has to be a full-scale article.  Sometimes a simple response
in the form of a well-reasoned letter is sufficient.

I just read Ed Schonberg's excellent piece Contrast: Ada & C++ from the
adaic website.  It would be great if Ed could update this a little bit,
based on the recent ISO C++ standardization.

Yesterday, one of my students, a young Naval officer in my Ada class,
asked me what he can say to someone who says, "C++ is just as good
as Ada for building DoD software."  He asked what he should reply. Of
course no reply will convince anyone, regardless of how well crafted
it may be.  I told him to insist that any C++ compiler be
held to the same standard they would expect for Ada.  Demand that it
be validated against a C++ conformance suite prior to being accepted
for use on the project.

Richard

Richard Riehle
[log in to unmask]
AdaWorks Software Engineering
6 Sepulveda Circle
Salinas, CA 93906
(831) 443-5536
http://www.adaworks.com

On Wed, 31 May 2000, Tucker Taft wrote:

>
>
> AdaWorks wrote:
> > ...The ARA seems to have become a
> > dormant body. Has anyone heard anything from them for a while?
>
> The ARA has a number of ongoing activities:
>
>    1) Suport for the maintenance and enhancement of the Ada Information Clearinghouse
>       website  (http://www.adaic.org);
>    2) Support for the Ada Rapporteur Group (ARG) by covering Randy Brukardt's
>       time and expenses (when he can't convince the DoD to do so);
>    3) Support for the Ada Compiler Assessment Authority (ACAA) and the Ada Compiler Assessment
>       Test Suite (ACATS; aka ACVC), again by covering Randy Brukardt's time and expenses;
>    4) Support for SIGAda (primarily used for the SIGAda booth, but also other
>       student activities);
>    5) Support for development of new Ada success stories, writing of Ada-related articles,
>       and other Ada-related marketing materials, primarily by covering Ann Brandon's time
>       and expenses.
>
> We are looking for ways to be more visible and effective.  We hope to create a web area
> specifically designed as a place for marketing the benefits of Ada to non-users;
> the URL for this area will be included in promotional ads/click-throughs in banners,
> search engines, print, etc.  Hopefully this effort will begin to become visible over
> the next 6 months.
>
> > Richard
> >
> > Richard Riehle
> > [log in to unmask]
> > AdaWorks Software Engineering
> > 6 Sepulveda Circle
> > Salinas, CA 93906
> > (831) 443-5536
> > http://www.adaworks.com
>
> -Tucker Taft  [log in to unmask]
>

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