Re: Ada's (in)visibility in the engineering community

[asuvax!ennews!enuxha.eas.asu.edu!koehnema@gatech.edu (Harry Koehnemann)]

In article <1992Sep11.164402.7141@seas.gwu.edu> mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael 
Feldman) writes:
>Five years ago or so, I was made to listen to a drumbeat of exhortation
>from various representatives of the Ada community, meaning DoD folks,
>their contractors, and the compiler houses alike. These prophets told me
>that no student who didn't know Ada would ever be able to get a job.

Interesting thing happened to me last week.  I went to the local eye
place to get a pair of contacts and while putting them on I got to
talking with the "eye guy".  Note this was not the doctor, rather
the guy behind the desk.  Anyways he asked me if I attended the
university, then what I studied, then what my research area was, then...

Anyways to make a long story short, we talked for a while.  This guy used
to be involved with Ada somewhere in the government, then worked for a
rather famous Ada compiler vendor (probably should remain nameless), but
was now helping me with my contacts.  He was older - 43 if I recall - but
knowing Ada sure wasn't helping him get a job (he'd been out of work in
his field for ~a year).


>Anyone who thinks that Ada is being held back chiefly by not supporting
>multiple inheritance is barking up the wrong tree. The problem is not Ada.
>The problem is us, folks.

Excellent point.  I'm sure that forest is around here somewhere, if
we could just take care of these damn trees.
--
Harry Koehnemann
koehnema@enuxha.eas.asu.edu