Ada/UNIX

[karl@grebyn.com (Karl Nyberg)]

In article <206@imspw6.UUCP> bob@imspw6.UUCP (Bob Burch) writes (among other
stuff):

>The tale concerning Ada/UNIX comes back the same way and sounds the same
>no matter which way you turn your ear.  There was the article in the Aug.
>1 issue of Government Computer News, there are the comments from the Nov.
>RICIS symposium ("Ada on UNIX doesn't work"), and, to me at least, aside
>from and in addition to my own experiences with UNIX/Ada, it sounds
>about the same no matter who I talk to.

(1) I guess you haven't read the article in GCN to which you refer.  Either
that, or you weren't interested enough to check the facts.

(2) Or perhaps you haven't talked to enough people.

The GCN article (a widely respected professional computer journal, you will
note*) mentioned (if I remember correctly) that the requirements for Ada,
UNIX, and REAL TIME software FOR A PARTICULAR APPLICATION were such that all
the requirements could not be fully met in their current environment.  Ada
and UNIX were chosen (and used) for the MIS portions of the application as
best I can recall.

Many of the Ada compiler vendors, some of whose products are even written in
Ada and run on UNIX, are developing and marketing their products quite
successfully.  They wouldn't be doing so if their customers weren't using
their products profitably.  The list of companies developing commercial
applications in Ada, and on UNIX, continues to grow.  These include database
management systems, editors, and the like.  For more information on the
widespread use of Ada, call the Ada Information Clearinghouse (703)685-1477
and ask for their Ada in Use Database.  For more information on particularly
commercial applications, contact Dave Dikel, ddikel@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu,
(703)847-6741, Chairman of the SIGAda Commercial Applications Users Group.

Or (3) perhaps you're afraid that Ada WILL succeed, and that you are already
so far behind the competitive power curve that the only way you can salvage
your situation is to try to drag Ada down and hope that it will go away.
Well, it won't.  As you quote Stroustrup, Ada is here to stay.

But enough proseletyzing.  If you don't want to hear it, you won't.  Ten
years ago, you might have been one of those completely uninterested in UNIX,
and now you claim the ability to look into the future where it is concerned.
Far be it from me to try breaking through the brick wall.  I've got Ada code
to complete for my VAX/ULTRIX and PC/DOS machines to get my products to
market and continue to make money.  It's a better way to spend my time...

-- Karl --

* As an aside, I have had a number of articles published by GCN (and BYTE,
and Ada Letters), so I don't intend this as a slur on the paper.  However,
PLEASE consider their purpose.  It's not like their articles have been
reviewed for technical details and indepth understanding.  Such publications
"sell" by grabbing their readers attention with bold headlines.