Volper/Katz: New Ada book

Volper/Katz: New Ada book

[Richard Pattis]

  After dozens of Ada as a second language books, there is now a book that
introduces Ada as a first language.  This book looks as if it is designed
to compete in the CS-1 market, with such Pascal texts as Savitch, Koffman,
Cooper & Clancy, Dale, etc.  This is a tough arena to compete in, because
each of these books is well written and quite mature (survival of the fittest
or at least the fit, at work). Most are already in 3rd editions.  Volper/Katz
looks like the first Ada book that can give these some competition based
solely on how well it is written, not to mention the use of a "better"
language (if not better for CS-1, definitely for CS-2).

  Before I get too enthusiastic, let me say that I haven't read the book. But
I spot checked it on a dozen or so interesting areas (I've taught Ada in a
CS-1 class for the last 6 quarters, and Modula-2 for 15 quarters before
that) and it holds up excellently.

  The two common reasons that people don't use Ada in introductory courses
(at least the two reasons that have merit) are: no books at the right level;
no usable compilers (usable means cheap enough to buy (price) and use
(paying for cycles) and good enough diagnostics for beginners).  Volper/Katz
is an excellent answer to the first complaint.  Meridian's $50 PC compiler is
a good answer to the second (JPI is planning an Ada environment similar
to their excellent Modula-2 environment, and mini/mainframe compilers are
continuing to come down in price, and up in speed).  All in all, compiler
technology is improving, and texts are coming on line (a translation of
Koffman's Pascal book is in the offing too).

  Before today, I couldn't recommend a good path for instructors wanting to
use Ada in their CS-1 classes.  Today, with Volper/Katz and the $50 Meridian
compiler, I can.

Rich Pattis

Re: Volper/Katz: New Ada book

[Richard Pattis]

Dennis Volper & Martin D. Katz, "Introduction to Programming Using Ada",
Prentice Hall, 1990.  ISBN 0-13-493529-2.

Rich Pattis