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Sender: "Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
From: Johnson Phillip E <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 10:50:36 -0500
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Reply-To: Johnson Phillip E <[log in to unmask]>
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> > > ...Component-based Software Engineering.  That's where I

This is true.  VB makes component building fairly easy.  The true irony is
there are Microsoft-centric people out there that look down on VB and work
at beating the same type of components together with VC++ [because they are
REAL programmers].

> The Java libraries, and TCL/Tk  ALSO  have stuff like this already
> available.  (And like Rush said, without Windows dependence)

I have used TASH [Ada/Tcl/Tk] on a proof of concept project.  It worked
great and impressed some "C/C++ rules" managers.

I also tried to use a product bought from "Thompson"/Aonix called AdaDraw,
but could never get anyone to support it.  Eventually, I was directed to
dump the Ada-based plotting and write it in either C or C++.  This is the
type of black eye that Ada does not need or deserve, opponent use to bash
Ada.

> But I am not impressed with the Java ones.  A simple GUI was rather
> difficult to create with JBuilder.  JBuilder also was unable
> to make it
> look good--for that I had to edit the generated Java.  The

You are talking about a tool/IDE not Java.  I have used Cafe' for several
years and GUI building is simple and easy.  AWT is not great, SWING is an
improvement but there are numerous components that have been available for
quite a while.

> ridiculous amount of Java code--constructors, adjustments,
> assignments--totaling at least a hundred SLOC for something I
> could have
> done in fifty lines of TCL/Tk/wish.  (And that's counting
> modifiers like
> -width 50  as SLOC!)

It could be written [but never read] in one line of APL, but why count.
8^{)

> lines, Java took many.  (Ada wasn't there, but would have
> been about the same size as C).

That would depend on what environment your are working in and what bindings
you have available.
I have use various Win32 bindings, CLAW, TASH, and various components to
develop Windows GUIs.  Thick bindings hide much of the code and looks
smaller based on SLOC.  Thin bindings require more work and looks larger
based on SLOC.  TASH took a few more lines the straight Tcl/Tk.

What it all comes down to is the tools, components, and bindings that are
available to the developer.  There fewer of these available for the Ada
developer when compared to what is available for C, C++, Visual Basic and
Java developers.

Phil Johnson

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