IBM & Air Traffic Control

IBM & Air Traffic Control

[Richard Pattis]

In today's NYT business section, there was an article about the government
threatening to cancel a $3.8 billion contract with IBM to overhaul the
air traffic control system. It says

  "Because of a software foul-up, the contract with the FAA has already
   suffered an 18 month delay...The problems involve testing and integrating
   software in what is called the initial sector suite system..."

This seems like a very large and embarasing screwup.

Anyone know more about the project. I thought the air traffic control stuff was
being done "mostly" in Ada; if not, anyone know what language was used. Even
better, anyone know what is "really" behind the delay.

Rich Pattis


-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Richard E. Pattis                     "Programming languages are like
  Department of Computer Science         pizzas - they come in only "too"
    and Engineering                      sizes: too big and too small."

Re: IBM & Air Traffic Control

[Grego ry Aharonian]

They used their STARS technology instead of their AD/CYCLE technology :-)

Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimization
-- 
**************************************************************************
Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimiztion
P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178

Re: IBM & Air Traffic Control

[Alex Blakemore]

In article <1992Dec12.002523.27592@beaver.cs.washington.edu> pattis@cs.washingt
on.edu (Richard Pattis) writes:
> Anyone know more about the project. I thought the air traffic control stuff w
as
> being done "mostly" in Ada; if not, anyone know what language was used. Even
> better, anyone know what is "really" behind the delay.

Everyone I've ever talked to about that project was horrified - sure its being
done in Ada, but on IBM hardware with IBM management and IBM engineering.
In the early days, I was told their coding standards even forbade private types
,
talk about the last thing you want to do on a large complex system.
It sounds like this was a disaster before they ever got to code.
Though you're right it doesnt help Ada.  (What do you think Ted?) (just kidding
)

Plan on taking the train for a few years after they introduce this thing.

-- 
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Alex Blakemore alex@cs.umd.edu   NeXT mail accepted

Re: IBM & Air Traffic Control

[aio!news]

In article <1992Dec12.002523.27592@beaver.cs.washington.edu>
pattis@cs.washington.edu (Richard Pattis) writes:
>
>In today's NYT business section, there was an article about the government
>threatening to cancel a $3.8 billion contract with IBM to overhaul the
>air traffic control system. It says
>
>  "Because of a software foul-up, the contract with the FAA has already
>   suffered an 18 month delay...The problems involve testing and integrating
>   software in what is called the initial sector suite system..."
>
>This seems like a very large and embarasing screwup.

Unfortuantely this will probably give the Chicken Littles of Ada another reason
for Ada "falling", I mean, "failing" even though it is not a language problem.
There are other factors involved such as the lack of a stable development
environment and the transition to yet another IBM platform in the middle of
development. Given any project in any language, this would play havoc on any
schedule.


>
>Anyone know more about the project. I thought the air traffic control stuff
was
>being done "mostly" in Ada; if not, anyone know what language was used. Even
>better, anyone know what is "really" behind the delay.
>
>Rich Pattis
>
>
>-- 
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Richard E. Pattis                     "Programming languages are like
>  Department of Computer Science         pizzas - they come in only "too"
>    and Engineering                      sizes: too big and too small."
>



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John R. Cobarruvias, Texas A&M Class of '78, 
NASA Johnson Space Center Houston Tx.
(713)483-9357

"And to think..................I hesitated" (Hellraiser II)
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