Re: How should DoD further Ada education?

[orville@weyrich.UUCP (Orville R. Weyrich)]

In article <2289@aldebaran.cs.nps.navy.mil> schweige@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (LCDR Jeff Schweiger) writes:

>1.  What role should DoD play in expanding software engineering education,
>using Ada as the implementation language?

Does the DoD feel a present need for more Ada-literate people? I was under the
impression that there are lots of unemployed Ada-persons around already
[myself included], and that DoD was planning further cut-backs.

>2.  How best should DoD carry out this role?
>	(ie., financial support for faculty, course development, hardware,
>	 software, etc. or more direct course development support)

I would say that the most important contribution that the DoD can make to
the future of Ada would be to facilitate the penetration of Ada into the 
commercial sector by subsidizing COBOL shops to "do their next one" in Ada.

>3.  How do we expand the number of Ada-literate people coming out of the
>universities?

Convince the students that Ada is commercially viable and that there are
more good-paying jobs for Ada-literate people than there are Ada-literate
people. Students are quick to jump onto the "latest trend" bandwagon
if it looks like there is a good job in store for them.


>4.  How do we expand the use of Ada in information systems?

Facilitate interoperability of Ada and COBOL. Increase the availability
of Ada packages to do common IS operations. For example CICS interfaces,
SQL, Report-writer, etc. 

[Yes, I know that some of these types of products DO exist. But do IS 
managers know that, and are the products easy to use and sufficiently
efficient?].

Provide a sufficient supply of skilled Ada persons at COBOL programmer
prices. [Note the interaction with #3. There is both a chicken/egg problem
and a inverse-relationship supply/pay problem].


>5.  What can or should DoD do in conjunction with industry to further Ada usage?

Spend more money on Ada projects. [However, as a taxpayer, I am not so keen
on this idea. If Ada is a cost-effective solution, time will take care of
it without excess expenditures of taxpayer $$$].



--------------------------------------           ******************************
Orville R. Weyrich, Jr., Ph.D.                   Certified Systems Professional
Internet: orville%weyrich@uunet.uu.net             Weyrich Computer Consulting
Voice:    (602) 391-0821                         POB 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
Fax:      (602) 391-0023                              (Yes! I'm available)
--------------------------------------           ******************************