Re: Why Ada has seven years to thrive or die

[agate!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ne ws.sei.cmu.edu!firth@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Robert Firth)]

In article <CCMv60.Bux@world.std.com> srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian)
 writes:

>		   PRECENTAGE OF USERS ADOPTING
>		    OBJECT ORIENTED TECHNOLOGY
>
>			1994		 2%
>			1995		11%
>			1996		34%
>			1997		53%
>			1998		71%
>			1999		80%
>			2000		88%

It might be instructive to compare similar extrapolated figures
from the manufacturers of hula-hoops, skateboards, and pet rocks.

Look, folks, every fad goes through a phase of exponential growth.
We saw the same thing with flowcharts, structured programming,
gotoless code, and Query By Example, to name but a few fashions
once destined to sweep the world.  There were even languages
designed without a GOTO statement.

Object-oriented programming is one way of solving problems; one of
many ways.  When the dust has settled, all the other ways will still
be around, and languages that do not enforce a single "one size fits
all" discipline of problem solving - general-purpose languages - will
still be the mainstream.  Remember LISP?  Remember APL?  Remember
Prolog?  And don't panic.