From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.0 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_40,FROM_ADDR_WS autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 22 Oct 92 15:05:30 GMT From: pa.dec.com!nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!shodha!wallace@decuac.dec.com (Richard Wal lace) Subject: An admittedly biased Ada/C++ comparison, by Ed Schonberg Message-ID: <1992Oct22.150530.2532@nntpd2.cxo.dec.com> List-Id: Val Kartchner clarifies what I wrote. I, indeed, was refering to what he writes as "The Law of Only Exposure" thus: : What should actually be applied is "The Law of Only Exposure". Many : programmers (unfortunately) only learn one language. This makes discussions : about languages on technological merits difficult if not impossible. : Additionally, since most "programmers" don't know an assembly language, : they generally lack an understanding of what a computer actually does with/to : their HLL program. Lacking this understanding makes it difficult if not : impossible to discuss efficiency issues. Val does seem to miss the point I was making regarding economics though. Pascal is still a more complex compiler than is any BCPL-based (C, C++ according to Horowitz) language to port; and as such would not be available to the Pascal/FORTRAN/COBOL writer at either unversity or job site. Having just said that I know that there are a great deal of universities and businesses that have these -- as well as a myriad of other languages -- available. What I want to focus on here in this thread is the cost of compilers. I haven't done any scientific survey so what I'm writing about is knowledge of personal experience at buying compilers. To bend a phrase from the movie/book "The Right Stuff" "It isn't technology that dictates what compiler is used, its funding." Val continues to write: : At Weber State University, Ada is the required language. However, it is not : the most popular. I'm glad to hear this. If a survey were taken with the following type of questions I wonder what language would come out the majority response? The first question is a control to make sure the questions are a) understood and b) an indicator to understanding of reserved words in a computer language. 1) What is your native language (ex. English, French, Spanish, et.al.)? 2) What was the first computer language that you wrote programs in? 3) What assembly/macro assembly language did you first learn? 4) To your personal knowledge, what compiler would you buy for your personal computer if cost is not a problem (you have unlimited dollars to use)? 5) To your personal knowledge, what compiler would you buy for your personal computer if cost is a problem (you have to buy the cheapest)? Other questions in this vein could be asked. Give it a try Val. University is a great place to try this. You could even design a survey program to collect the data. I, for one, would like to see the results! Aloha, Richard Richard Wallace Digital Equipment Corporation 301 Rockrimmon Blvd. South CXO2-1/7A Colorado Springs, CO 80919-2398 (719)548-2792 "The opinions expressed are my own, Uncle Ken or Uncle Bob may, or may not, agree with me."