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Sender: "Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
From: Chip Richards <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 10:20:32 -0700
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Reply-To: Chip Richards <[log in to unmask]>
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Peter Coffee, in an article in the on-line edition of PC Week entitled
"Despairing niche developers go over the wall", waxes enthusiastic about the
current and potential future success of Java.  At the end of the article, he
says "What are you writing, and why will you stay or go?  Tell me at
[log in to unmask]".  I've included the text of my response below; I hope I
didn't make any serious factual errors.

In case anyone would like to add their voice to mine, the article can be found
at "http://www.pcweek.com/opinion/0224/24coff.html".

--
Chip

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Your recent on-line column asks what we are writing, and why.  Glad you asked!
I'm writing Ada95, for several reasons, including:

1.  It's an ISO standard; thus, unlike C++, it has proved to be quite
portable.  I speak from practical experience here.

2.  It has native-code optimizing compilers (including free GNU versions) for
all the platforms I use or would consider using; unlike Java's source code,
therefore, it can produce programs with excellent performance.

3.  There are already two shipping compilers (one from Aonix, and one from
Intermetrics) which produce Java Byte Code from Ada95 source, with more on the
way.  Again, including a free GNU compiler.  I am quite excited about a
machine-independent executable format, and Ada95 lets me exploit it while
retaining all the advantages of a modern high-level language.

4.  I have better things to do with my time than chase memory leaks, buffer
overruns, and other such simple, easily avoided run-time errors. <grin>

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