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Date: 10 Jun 93 12:06:53 GMT
From: cis.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!linus
!linus.mitre.org!mwunix.mitre.org!m23588@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (Richard Conn)
Subject: Re: INFO-ADA Digest V93 #359
Message-ID: <1993Jun10.120653.17863@linus.mitre.org>
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

In article <1993Jun9.193003.5499@schbbs.mot.com>, tannen@tigger.geg.mot.com (Da
vid Tannen x8273) writes:In article <1993Jun9.193003.5499@schbbs.mot.com>, tann
en@tigger.geg.mot.com (David Tannen x8273) writes:
|> Greg,
|> 
|> When it comes to DoD and Ada reuse centers you are mostly correct.  I have u
sed
|> my Asset account to both get software out of their repository and as a way
|> into the net.  I have had trouble locating software in the Asset repository,
|> their scheme for storing material is confusing (IMHO).  Fortunately they hav
e
|> people who work there who care about helping Asset users get what they want.
I found that a really efficient way to use ASSET is to download and print
their current catalog (ASSET_A_139), and then browse thru that offline.
Then you can just go into the menu front-end and search for and extract
assets by number.  I've asked them to create a get command for the UNIX command
line level, to allow a user to issue a command like "get ASSET_A_xxx", but they
have not yet done so.  A get command would be simpler yet.

|> 
|> It would be great if all DoD software was cataloged, sorted and stored in a
|> central repository.  Of course it would need a connection to Internet, plus 
some
|> dialup lines for folks to use with their modems.  It would also be helpful i
f
|> they could ship the software in CDROM, floppy disk (DOS,Mac, etc) or tapes o
f
|> various sizes and types.
Third-party companies, like STO, seem to be doing this kind of thing.  However,
there is a Reuse Library Interoperability Group (RIG) which is working to tie
ASSET, CARDS, and DSRS together.  I think they would like more repositories
to join in.  I've already started to see items from CARDS appear in ASSET.

|> 
|> But none of this is going to happen.  Too bad.  Everyone is protecting their
 
|> turf (i.e. Capitalism at its best - what is best for _ME_.) 
Yes and no.  In the face of diminishing budgets, I think they are working
together better.

|> 
|> BTW, it has been easier for me to get Pascal source code than Ada source cod
e.  
|> All I do is ask in comp.lang.pascal and the Prof who is managing an ftp site
 
|> tells me where to look.
There is nothing like having access to a "good old boy."  Often is the easiest
way, even tho it depends upon him volunteering his time (or sometimes being
paid for his time) to help you.  Keith Petersen of the MSDOS archive on SIMTEL2
0
is a "good old boy" like the Prof you mention, but Keith is being paid and plan
s
to stop work when SIMTEL20 (and his funding) goes away.  That will leave Timo
Salmi of University of Vassa, Finland, to run GARBO as the only operational
MSDOS archive, until, of course, Timo decides to go away.  But then again, mayb
e
someone will pick up the slack.

|> 
|> Of course that comp.lang newsgroup has few flame wars vs this one. (Of cours
e
|> I just added to the flamewar, oh well :)
|> 
|> David Tannen
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> 
Rick Conn