Re: ada-c++ productivity

[ted@grebyn.com (Ted Holden)]

Productivity of C++ users will vary according to skills, experience
levels, tools available, such as the fabulous new Borland interface, and
the task at hand.  An idea of productivity in Ada projects may be had
from the Feb. 11 issue of Federal Computer Week:

   "The GSA Board of Contract appeals issued a ruling last month that
   could effect how the military evaluates the cost effectiveness of Ada
   software.

   "The board upheld a decision by the Air Force to award a contract to
    a high-priced bidder based on a measure of productivity that equals
    three lines of Ada code per programmer per day.

    "A lower priced bidder, and others in the Ada community, said this
    standard is much too low.  The protester in the case, DynaLantic
    Corp, offered an average of ten lines of code per day per
    programmer.

    "Three lines of code per day is absurd [as if ten wasn't], said
    Ralph Crafts, editor of a newsletter on Ada, and an expert
    witness for the protester.....

Whether any realistic combination of events exists which could reduce
Pascal, C, or C++ programmers to this level of productivity is anybody's
guess;  my own opinion is that most C programmers would require a bullet
through the brain to be brought to such a level.

The really comical thing about this is the way in which Ada gurus cite
"productivity" as the main advantage of Ada.  Apparently, they use the
phrase in somewhat the same vein as Mr. Hussein uses terms like "moral
victory".

Ted Holden