Re: counting "renames"

[rharwood@east.pima.edu]

In article <9301290047.AA15582@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu>, SAHARBAUGH@ROO.FIT.EDU writes
:
> I was asked to study a name-brand "Ada Static Code Analyzer"
> product.  It has been around and evolving nicely for many years.
> It counts things and gives reports based on threshold count
> values you choose.  e.g. it will report how many goto's are used
> and even tell you where (several years ago it wouldn't tell you
> where).
> It doesn't count "renames"!  I asked the salesman and he didn't
> know why not but he would get back to me.  Several weeks later
> he called to tell me that it doesn't count renames but he couldn't
> tell me why.
> Am I missing something?  Can anyone guess why they don't count renames?

A company I once worked for produced a source code analyzer (not for Ada), and
when asked similar questions of the form "Why doesn't XYZ do <insert your
favorite pet item>?", the VERY honest answer is : "Because nobody ever asked us
before!"  Why, some programmer would have to first think of the idea himself
(the tool was to be a money-maker, and was not designed to do anything but fill
a market need), and then [heaven forbid] someone would have to write and TEST
the code.  I can hear the response in the team meeting now: "Renames? Who would
want to count renames?"
-----
Ray Harwood           |Data Basix           |Adjunct Faculty, East Campus,
Voice: (602)721-1988  |PO Box 18324         |   Pima Community College
FAX:   (602)721-7240  |Tucson, AZ 85731     |Instructor in Ada and Pascal
CompuServe: 76645,1370|AppleLink: DATA.BASIX|Internet: rharwood@east.pima.edu