> And Visual Basic is a LOT easier ... my students all ran
>their first GUI-oriented programs with various degrees of bells and
>whistles after 1.5 hours of instruction and 1.5 hours of lab.
  Do your Ada students use GUI Builders or thick bindings, and
it still takes them more than 3 hours till first GUI program?
p.s. In original BASIC "PRINT 2+2" was *really* quick to learn.