Marketing Ada

[breland@mcc.com (Mark A. Breland)]

In article 18550@seas.gwu.edu, mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman) writes:
>
>You'd be amazed at the number of people who think that Ada is exclusively
>a US DoD toy. The point for net readers, and their friends, and their
>friends' friends, is that there are a number of documented projects
>beyond the DoD in organizations that have chosen Ada. This knowledge,
>and the growing use of Ada as a serious educational language, is intended
>to strengthen the hand of those whose supervisors or colleagues resist
>Ada because "nobody but DoD uses it." I'm doing what I can to create a
>positive, rather than a negative, self-fulfilling prophecy.

An incredible amount of energy has been expended on c.l.a indicting users
and mandators of Ada for failing to champion the language to a broader
compputing audience.  Being a diehard pragmatist, I always wondered why
those with the most to gain (e.g., compiler vendors) did not wave the flag
and mount the charge to lead this proselytizing effort.  So when the chance
came recently to gain some insight, I unembarrassedly asked many somewhat
obnoxious questions of the senior Products VP for one of the top 5 Ada
compiler vendors.

The most telling question was:  "Why don't you, the Company, seek to market
Ada as a language; thereby expanding your customer base, generating more
revenue, and strategically securing the Company's position within the
marketplace?"

The answer: "We don't have the marketing personnel resources for that; we
already have a strong niche within the existing market; the target user for
Ada is already aware of Ada's benefits (doesn't need to be sold); the target
user consists of the complex, embedded, _large_ system community (i.e.,
volume of compilers sold is meaningless); we don't know how to market the
merits of Ada to the global community (and don't want to); and (to be
expected) insert_C/C++_flame_here."

Well, that part of me that wears the little green accountant's visor hat
was utterly dumbfounded.  But even worse, I strongly suspect that the
Company mentioned above is not alone.  Rather, I venture to say that ALL
the major Ada compiler vendors have adopted the same philosophy.  In essence,
they feel they have a captive customer base with which they are quite content
to continue conducting business with.  They consider themselves busy enough
meeting the concerns and desires of _that_ customer base without introducing
the complexity of a more eclectic user mix.  To their credit, they are
successful in their innovations as requested by existing customers, they just
don't care to raise their horizons any further.

So...unless a company with an attitude like Borland shows up on the scene,
don't expect to see *any* Ada marketing hype directed at the masses.

---
Mark A. Breland - Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)
Ada Fault Tolerance                               | voice:    (512) 338-3509
3500 West Balcones Center Drive                   | FAX:      (512) 338-3900
Austin, Texas 78759-6509   USA                    | internet: breland@mcc.com