From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,5cb36983754f64da X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2004-04-14 15:11:59 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-01!sn-post-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: "Randy Brukardt" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: No call for Ada (was Re: Announcing new scripting/prototyping Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 17:11:41 -0500 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: <107rdpd5idqnjf7@corp.supernews.com> References: <107m6cdmda7f639@corp.supernews.com> <407D235B.2040004@noplace.com> X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4910.0300 X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:7109 Date: 2004-04-14T17:11:41-05:00 List-Id: "Marin David Condic" wrote in message news:407D235B.2040004@noplace.com... > We could thus conclude that the cause is hopeless. Ada (or any other new > language without a major backer) can never be widely adopted. I didn't say *never*. There just is a very high probability of failure (well over 95%). You're not going to find any investment with that sort of odds. (And personally, I'm unwilling to undertake something without a substantial chance of success...) > The Ada vendors ought to be looking to start marketing C++/Java compilers or > other non-Ada products. Most already do. > The ARG ought to stop wasting everyone's time with language revisions. That certainly was seriously argued by major Ada players early on. (Haven't heard it recently, though.) > And we should all quit having any interest in > promoting Ada, quit posting to this group and go find some more > productive way to spend our time. I don't know if I'd go as far as that. There is plenty that can be done with realistic goals (like assuming that Ada will continue to be used for many years, and will be adopted by some new projects). But nothing said here is going to have any impact on Ada's future (at least in a positive sense). Either get out there and take that giant risk, or stop fantisizing about a world where everyone uses Ada. > ***OR*** > > We could conclude that it is an uphill battle, but one that has been won > in the past. It requires some intelligence, creativity, cooperation by > the major players, and above all else a *NEW STRATEGY* for how to get > the language adopted in a more widespread way. That's the entry fee. Once you've done all of that, you are just in the door so you can roll the dice. And you have to come up boxcars (two sixes) to win. The problem is that if you have a good strategy, there is nothing preventing the Java folks (say) from copying it. And unless you can execute the strategy before they do, you have no chance. ... > The alternative is to give up. If you really feel its that hopeless, why > bother with *any* effort relating to Ada at all? In my case, its a combination of factors (these are personal opinions, and any argument of them is wasted effort for all): 1) Ada is by far the best programming language available. It is the only language in wide use that gets the syntax right (well, it comes closer than any alternative), and it gets most of the semantics right, as well. No C or Lisp family language will ever come within a country mile of Ada here (the syntaxes are a disaster). If a real contender appeared (obviously with a syntax similar to Ada's), I'd seriously consider switching. 2) I need to eat, pay the mortgage, etc. And I have to do what I know (which is Ada). The one time I had to fix a Perl program, I spent two weeks on the project (only a couple of bugs needed to be fixed). Similarly, the one time I tried to seriously do web page design was a similar disaster. I don't have the talent needed for those things. 3) I believe that a programmer that gives/sells programs to others has a moral obligation to support those programs as long as anyone is using them. Thus I will not abandon Claw or Janus/Ada even if they are not profitable. And thus I care about the future of Ada. In any case, I'm a natural pessimist. I don't see a glass half empty or half full, I see one that will soon be fully empty via evaporation or spillage. :-) Others mileage may vary! Randy.