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From: "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>
Subject: Re: Ada generics
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
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Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:42:07 +0100
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Date: 2006-12-21T16:41:56+01:00
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On 21 Dec 2006 06:14:54 -0800, markww wrote:

> I'm trying to compare generics in Ada vs C++ templates and Java
> generics. Is there anything Ada generics can do that C++ or Java
> cannot? I read that the Ada system was safer than C++ templates. I'm
> just looking for some distinctive features.

I cannot tell anything for Java, but Ada generics as compared with
templates are "more":

1. Contract-based (this is the most important feature)

2. Support separate compilation (1 is a premise to have this)

3. Generic object parameters can have any type (in C++ you cannot use
float, for example)

4. Generic object parameters can be mutable (in C++ only constants are
allowed)

5. Generic type parameters can be limited to a class of types, like any
integer type, or any type derived for some base, or any array type of
elements etc. In C++ matching is untyped.

6. Generic instance parameters. You can pass an instance as a parameter.

7. Generic packages (~namespaces). Anything you put in gets parametrized by
the formal parameters and instantiated upon the package instantiation.

8. Keyed association of generic parameters

9. Defaults for generic parameters

10. Nested generics and generic children

(I don't list what is less than in C++, because you didn't ask for it.
(:-))

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de