Re: Ichibah flames, and flames out over, Ada 9X

[mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman)]

In article <1993Mar8.153639.3603@inmet.camb.inmet.com> stt@spock.camb.inmet.com (Tucker Taft) writes:
>
[ good stuff deleted]

>In any case, Ada 83 clearly chose the package-based approach, and
>we are not trying to change that for Ada 9X.  We felt that there
>was no need to force Ada programmers to adopt a different way of
>doing encapsulation just to get more support for dynamic binding 
>and type extension.
>
>We don't see the need to make Ada 9X a "me too" object-oriented
>language.  Instead, we want it to combine the best ideas of
>Ada 83 and OO languages, into something that advances the state
>of the art, not something that trails just behind always trying 
>to catch up.  We believe that this approach makes the most sense, 
>both technical, and marketing.  Your mileage may of course vary...
>
Hear, hear! It seems the same people who have trashed Ada for being too
stodgy and conservative now want Ada to be merely imitative of the latest
craze. Just because C++ does something in a certain way does NOT make
it the only way, or the only correct way. There is nothing to prevent
Ada from charting its own course. 

Ada's success will be fostered far more by the ready availability of
Ada9X compilers and tools at fair prices, including some free ones so
that we academics can muck around in the source code, than by whether
or not it uses the magic word "class". Instead of constantly kvetching
about classes vs. tagged types, let's get on about the _real_ business.
Freeze the language and get the compilers done.

I meet too many people who describe OOP as follows: "I don't know much
about it, but whatever it is, it's that stuff C++ can do and Ada can't."
It's high time to change this culture of ignorance. It starts in the
schools and works its way outward. The Ada83 "in group" missed this point.
Thank Heaven that the Ada9X "in group" seems (_seems_) to be getting it.
We shall see...

Cheers -

Mike Feldman
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Michael B. Feldman
co-chair, SIGAda Education Committee

Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
School of Engineering and Applied Science
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052 USA
(202) 994-5253 (voice)
(202) 994-5296 (fax)
mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Internet)

"The most important thing is to be sincere, 
and once you've learned how to fake that, you've got it made." 
-- old show-business adage
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