Chad Bremmon  wrote : Monday, June 12, 2000 4:32 P M 

What about a concerted effort to provide articles related to Ada for as many magazines and such.  I think if we could form a team of 10 who are willing to write and review articles for one another, we should be able to get them into some key magazines. 

You know how it is, we'd have to hide the Ada a bit.  Say. . . "Here's a new concept" we've been doing it.  Here's how we did it.... Can you do that in your language?  Seriously?  What can you do in Ada that you can't do in another language?  Is is something someone might want?   

On the other hand, I think that a nice 8-10 page story for
"American Heritage of Invention & Technology" might be
very effective.  Its a high quality quarterly which lays
out the history of new technologies in the context of the
people and the institutions which produced them ... from
inception of ideas to success (or demise).  It makes use
of photos of the key people involved, at work, or posing
as if working.  It makes the key concepts and benefits of
the technology understandable, at least in a general sense. 

I think that it would be an excellent way to go many steps
above the heads of the average programmer or project manager,
not intellectually, but organizationally, and maybe
generate some curiosity and questions from high to low, as
to whether one's organization is using Ada for competitive
advantage.  Could stir things up in a positive way, and maybe
give an Ada advocate a chance to be heard in his organization.

It doesn't treat only obsolete technology.  The Summer 2000
issue has a great 10 page story on Teflon, which is very
mainstream, and will be important far into the future.  It
had an important US -> France -> US -> World history too.

I think that influential people may read this for enjoyment,
and general background and inspiration.  I've been reading
every word of every new issue for 3-4 years. 

Tom Panfil -- Baltimore SIGAda