At 11:18 AM 7/27/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Rick et al,
>
>Since this thread is really not going away, I'm going to shift gears

I don't see this as a continuation of any previous thread (except maybe
the promotion of Ada on M$ platforms which, I can't see why any legitimate
promotion of Ada is unwanted).

>and try to put it in perspective. Rick, it is simply not clear to me
>just what you're trying to accomplish.

It seems he is trying to create awareness of emerging areas where he thinks
that Ada should have an impact?


>- Raising our consciousness about Microsoft's importance in the world?
>
>   I doubt anyone in this group was unaware of it before you wrote.
>
>- Trying to get more of us to write Ada applications against
>   Windows interfaces?
>
>   Lots of us are already doing that, and I doubt this discussion
>   has served to recruit many more.

At least he is trying... Many of us (myself included) are too busy with
what we are doing to actively promote Ada. I'd rather see someone try
and fail then not to try at all.


>- Convincing us that Microsoft "standards" are standards?
>
>   We've beaten it to death - different people define the term
>   differently?

Beaten and beaten and ...


>- Accomplishing any significant shift of priorities in the Ada
>   community?
>
>   I doubt it, because Ithink you're talking to the wrong people
>   here. See below.

Even a minor shift in a direction that increases the awareness of Ada
in a good light, seems to me to be welcome.


>[snip]
> >
> > This is definitely a platform on which Ada should have a presence.
> >
> > Enjoy the report(s),
> > Rick
>
>Well, if you think so,

You don't? I think the more platforms the better. Even the ones that we
personally don't care for.

>- as a person who seems to be trying to
>bridge the gap between the Ada community and Microsoft - seem to be
>in a good position to establish some contacts on both sides. An

I thought that's what he's doing?

>endless thread on Team-Ada seems to me to be one of the _least_
>effective ways to get this done. A more effective way by far is
>to work behind the scenes as a "marriage broker". I have a good

It seems to me that working "behind the scenes" is only part of the
work. There has to be some work "In front of the scenes" if the people
behind the scenes are going to do anything.

>bit of experience trying to make "marriages" between Ada vendors
>and the academic community. Not all my efforts succeeded, but not
>all my efforts failed either.
>
>Rick, have you tried working behind the scenes to make connections
>between the relevant Microsoft folks and the Ada vendor companies
>?
>The decision-makers on both sides are - we can be pretty sure - not
>likely to be readers of Team-Ada!

Really? Any Ada vendors out there? Maybe not the decision makers themselves
but at least some of the engineers and CS personnel that have their ears?

Lately it seems this list has become a M$ bashing platform instead of an
Ada discussion/promotion list. I don't particularly like M$ either (I run
FreeBSD on my home machine and have sworn-off Outlook at work) but the
reality is that M$ has a major impact (good or bad) in any market they enter.
Lets try to get back to the business of promoting Ada!


Robin Reagan
[log in to unmask]       http://www.reagans.org/
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