Re: Harris Corp., or a measure of Ada hypocrisy

Re: Harris Corp., or a measure of Ada hypocrisy

[cis.ohio-state.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com]

In article <SRCTRAN.93Apr9092137@world.std.com> srctran@world.std.com (Gregory 
Aharonian) writes:
>
>    Recently I came across annoucement from Harris that indirectly measures

"indirectly" is certainly the operative word here.  You're finding a
correlation where none exists.

>the hypocrisy in the Mandated world with regards to Ada.  First Harris.
>    In an effort to do some goodwill, and to seed for future customers,
>Harris recently did a very generous thing: they donate $7 million dollars
>of equipment to the academic world.  Here's a mention I saw in the academic
>computing journal T.H.E.:
>			...
>	    About $7 million worth of Harris Computer Systems
>	Division's Night Hawl real-time computers, along with
>	related software, will enhance engineering and scientific
>	research programs.  Schools were choosen from applicants
>	seeking super-fast computer processing capabilities for
>	various research efforts in the physical and biological
>	sciences.  [some more about specific projects]
>
>Kudos to Harris for the contribution to the academic community (though
>as a slight kidding to Harris, I suspect these were their Forth-based
>real-time processors coming from an Mandated Ada participant).  Not only

Get your facts straight.  These are real-time Unix multiprocessor machines,
produced by Harris Computer Systems Div.  They might run forth as an
optional product, but the certainly aren't forth-based.  HCSD is a commercial
division, and does much of its business with non-DoD customers.  HCSD has
a very active and successful Ada product that is tightly integrated with
the NightHawk operating system.  They were the first company to release
a product conforming to the POSIX 1003.5 standard (Ada bindings).  

>     Why does Harris do this?  It believes in its product, and wants to see
>its product succeed, and is willing to spend its money pursuing this goal.
>Cheers for Harris.
>
>     Where the hell then is the Ada community?  

Here's the leap that I don't get.  The fact is that Harris has donated
millions of dollars worth of hardware to local Florida colleges and
universities, and has encouraged the use and teaching of Ada at these
same institutions.  It's a very beneficial relationship; students get
access to cutting-edge hardware and software, and learn valuable
software engineering techniques, while Harris gets better-qualified
new hires from the local communities.  If they have taken an Ada
class(es), then Harris doesn't have to spend the money to train them.
Our division (Harris Space Systems Corp) has hired over 140 Ada
software engineers in the last 2 years alone, many from local
colleges.  And our job is for a non-DoD customer that does NOT have an
Ada mandate.  In fact, Harris believed so much that Ada was the right
language to use that we spent quite a bit of effort at the beginning
of the contract to convince the customer that Ada would be a more
appropriate language for the project than C.  Progress to date
indicates, not surprisingly, that we were right.  In short, I see no
indication that Harris is being hypocritical, and I see every
indication that Harris is encouraging an active Ada community.

Rick Simonian                |  Internet: simonian@x102a.ess.harris.gov
Harris Space Systems Corp    |  or...     rsimonia%core1@kssib.ksc.nasa.gov  
Voice: 407-633-3852          |
FAX:   407-633-5700          |

Re: Harris Corp., or a measure of Ada hypocrisy

[Mark Bayern]

 
>
>    Ada is going nowhere outside the Mandated world because that is where
>the Mandated world wants it to go.  You can flame my attacks until you
>are drowning in dollars, but it doesn't change the fact that outside the
>Mandated world (at schools, at trade shows, in magazines, in products, in
>anything) no one inside the Mandated world is spending a cent.  Would
>that the attackers of Ted Holden be as enthusiatic with their flaming of
>such hypocritical behavior.


Greg,

Why would I flame your 'attack' -- you're absolutely right. 
Earlier this week I posted a note showing the type of support that
Ada vendors give small commercial firms.  Does anyone care?  So
far only Dave Emery (in a private message).  

For all the fancy words we hear (read?) it doesn't appear that the
powers that be really want Ada to succeed.  Since I'm talking
about those who make their living selling Ada I just don't
understand it.

Mark