Re: Why ADA?

[rochester!kodak!ispd-newsserver!psinntp!vitro.com!v7.vitro.com!eswgcc@lou ie.udel.edu (Carmen Castells-Schofield)]

In article <13235@suns3.crosfield.co.uk>, pdg@crosfield.co.uk (paul goffin) wri
tes:
> In article <1992Mar21.235624.1@jaguar.uofs.edu> das11@jaguar.uofs.edu writes:
> 
>>	at my university, they stress ada development.  why should i
>>	program in ada when there is c?  what does ada offer me?  please,
>>	do not give me the crap that c is a glorified assembler.
> 
>>	if i program with good oo style, what does ada buy me that i
>>	can not do in c?
> 
>>	dave.
> 
> 
> The real point, and this is something you may meet later in your working
> life, is that if you need to get something done that requires MORE THAN
> ONE PERSON, you need to make the 'right' way the 'easy' way.
> 
> With a good 'C' compiler, a good linker, a very good 'lint' (try
> Gimble 'Flexelint' BTW) and GOOD PROJECT MANAGEMENT, you _can_ achieve
> pretty robust 'C'.  But, the first time something is needed 'in a hurry'
> the temptation to take the easy way and, say, ignore 'lint' comes in.
> 
> With Ada, 'lint' and good scope controls are 'built-in'.  It is
> actually _harder_ to get bad Ada to compile than good Ada, so, as
> we're all pretty lazy really, we do the eazy thing and write good
> Ada.
> 
> Yes, one can write good 'C', but under pressure to get it done fast,
> most people don't.
> 
> Paul.

This was a very nice exposition of a sentiment I wanted to convey and couldn't
think of how to put.   Just to extend this a little, I would say that Ada 
forces you to use these concepts; C just lets you.   The difference the first 
time you use Ada in a group is amazing; we spent 1 week doing joint design, 
three weeks separately doing development, and then were integrated and running 
in about an hour.   This with good software engineers who were doing their 
first Ada project.

The big payback for Ada is for team development.   That's not what you learn in
 
school, but it is what you'll need in the real world.

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