Re: Paige's How To Get An Automatic Ada Waiver memo

[riehler@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Richard Riehle)]

In article <EACHUS.94Nov2143819@spectre.mitre.org> eachus@spectre.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) writes:
>
>     COTS software in the DoD is defined as existing software
>supported by the vendor.  If you are willing to support the software
>you sell and warrant that it works now, the DoD could care less what
>language it is written in.  Ada is only required if the government has
>to pay to develop the software or maintain it.

 Robert,

 I wish it were that simple.  How do we categorize dBASE IV, Clipper,
 FoxPro, etc?  My experience with several  Navy sites is that they 
 merrily develop large applications using these tools, and justify
 the avoidance of Ada with the rationale that these are COTS products.

 And some of these systems are large and complex.  And they will/do
 require DoD funds for long-term maintenance.  One Navy luminary even
 affirmed to me at the famous Dual-Use conference that these database
 products are indeed regarded as COTS.

 Richard Riehle
 AdaWorks Software Engineering
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