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"Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
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From:
Roger Racine <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 17 Nov 1999 14:56:18 -0500
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Roger Racine <[log in to unmask]>
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At 12:57 PM 11/17/1999 , Tom Moran wrote:
>   Perhaps Ada is indeed too far ahead of its time.  Perhaps we should
>just decide that at the current time the majority of programmers are
>like children - you give them a task as an opportunity for them to
>learn, not because you want the task done properly.  If the only
>things being automated were video games, OK, but software is becoming
>too important for that, IMHO.
>
>   Also, speaking purely selfishly, I'd rather not depend on Java or
>C/C++ programs/programmers for anything important, and I'd also rather
>not be forced to write/read in those languages to any substantial extent.

Please don't go overboard in saying that

A) all programs written in C or C++ must be garbage; or
B) all Ada programs are perfect.

In my experience great people can write great software in any language; it
just takes somewhat longer using lesser languages.  If you follow all the
guidelines and restrictions, have peer reviews, and test very well, you
might actually be able to go to the moon and back safely using assembly :-).

And bad people can write junk in any language.  There are, unfortunately,
some projects using Ada that (IMHO) went overboard with OOD, leading to
performance problems, cost overruns, redesigns and bad press.

I look at Ada as a productivity enhancement.  I would happily trust my life
to C++ software if it was written and tested by a trustworthy group of
people.  But  I would expect that same group to finish much quicker using Ada.

Hyperbole does not help.

Roger Racine

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