Re: Computerworld Focus on OOP is good obituary for Ada

Re: Computerworld Focus on OOP is good obituary for Ada

[Christopher J. Henrich]

In <SRCTRAN.93Jun14142701@world.std.com> srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharoni
an) writes:


>   The June 14 issue of Computerworld, pages 107 to 123, presents a guide
>to object oriented programming products, companies and tools.  ADA IS NOT
>MENTIONED ONCE.  What two languages were covered in the Buyers' Scorecard
>of user satsifaction ratings?   ParcPlace's and Digitalk's Smalltalk, and
>Borland's and Microsoft's C++.  Eight full pages of commentary on OOP and
>not one mention of Ada.

Greg makes a valid point here.  I can't find the issue of CW to which
he refers, but I am willing to conjecture that this guide includes
the C++ library supported by Rational - i.e. the Booch components.
If so, why not the Ada version of the same library?

Is there a spokesman for Rational who can answer this?

Let's not be diverted by the idea that CW made the editorial decision
to keep silent about Ada.  I doubt very much that CW has made
any principled decision to refuse to let the name of "that woman"
pass its lips.  The decision may have happened by default, when a
spokesman for Rational said, "We support this nifty library in C++" and
did not also say, "and in Ada, and wait till you *see* what we're
going to do with Ada9X!  ... You didn't know about Ada9X?  Let
me fill you in! It's got marvellous object-oriented features..."

I don't know what happened.  The ball was dropped; maybe by
Computerworld, maybe by somebody else.  Perhaps it is time for
us readers of comp.lang.ada to play Monday-morning quarterback and
write letters to Computerworld.

Once upon a time, pornography and condoms were sold under the
counter.  They weren't advertised; you had to know where to go, and
you had to ask.  Today, it seems that Ada salesmanship is almost that
quiet.  If you go to Ada Letters, you can find a list of products
and their supporters; if you ask, you can get what you need.

Thanks to the DoD, and thanks to its much-maligned Mandate, Ada
exists now.  And many individuals and firms have made a commitment to
her^H^H^H it.  In today's world, if we mean to keep up that
commitment, we probably have to be noisy about it.  Under-the-counter
marketing is not enough.  (Not even for condoms.)

Regards,
Chris Henrich

Re: Computerworld Focus on OOP is good obituary for Ada

[usenet.ufl.edu!darwin.sura.net!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.]

Christopher,


>  ...      The decision may have happened by default, when a
>spokesman for Rational said, "We support this nifty library in C++" and
>did not also say, "and in Ada, and wait till you *see* what we're
>going to do with Ada9X!  ... You didn't know about Ada9X?  Let
>me fill you in! It's got marvellous object-oriented features..."
>

Rational doesn't (or at least didn't) say anything like that to me
when I called about the Booch components.  While they were very
willing to talk about (and sell) me the C++ version, they really
stopped and stumbled when I made it clear I was talking about the
Ada version.  After a couple of 'hold please, I'll check'
pauses, they gave me Grady's phone number in Colorado and told me
To call him.   So, it turns out that Rational _does not_ sell the
Booch components for Ada, Grady Booch does using a company name of
Wizard Software. 


Mark
 

Re: Computerworld Focus on OOP is good obituary for Ada

[Christopher J. Henrich]

In <1993Jun15.161156.28448@tinton.ccur.com> cjh@tinton.ccur.com I wrote:

>In <SRCTRAN.93Jun14142701@world.std.com> srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharon
ian) writes:


>>   The June 14 issue of Computerworld, pages 107 to 123, presents a guide
>>to object oriented programming products, companies and tools.  ADA IS NOT
>>MENTIONED ONCE.  What two languages were covered in the Buyers' Scorecard
>>of user satsifaction ratings?   ParcPlace's and Digitalk's Smalltalk, and
>>Borland's and Microsoft's C++.  Eight full pages of commentary on OOP and
>>not one mention of Ada.

>Greg makes a valid point here.  I can't find the issue of CW to which
>he refers, but I am willing to conjecture that this guide includes
>the C++ library supported by Rational - i.e. the Booch components.
>If so, why not the Ada version of the same library?

My conjecture went the way of most conjectures: into the wastebasket.
Rational, and the Booch tools, are not mentioned.  So the rest of my
article may be moot.  In particular, I withdraw my implied criticism
of Rational. 

Is the CW article (group of articles, really) ominous for Ada?  I
don't think so.  The ComputerWorld feature seems to be mostly addressed 
to people who are concerned with management information systems.  
This is not really an arena for which Ada was intended.

Is the absence of Ada from CW's picture evidence of a failure by the
DoD?  Definitely not.  It is no part of the DoD's job to control how
private enterprise takes care of its own information systems.

Is it evidence that Ada vendors are missing an opportunity?
Quite possibly yes.  Ada could be a factor in the MIS marketplace.
However-- not every hardware or software vendor is interested
in that marketplace.  And I can't see that they have any duty to be
so.

Regards,
Chris Henrich