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From: Maciej Sobczak <see.my.homepage@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Properties
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 07:35:55 -0800 (PST)
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Date: 2010-12-07T07:35:55-08:00
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On Dec 7, 12:51=A0pm, Georg Bauhaus <rm.dash-bauh...@futureapps.de>
wrote:

> > I don't claim that this is actually the case, but this is a)
> > demonstrably possible and b) it even makes perfect sense from the
> > engineering perspective.
>
> I'm curious about the engineering perspective, the
> one that prefers a "lowest denominator" in the
> style of extern "C".

The "lowest denominator" is not just preferred, it is actually imposed
by market forces.
Imagine, for example, that Win32 exposed its interfaces as C++. Or C#.
Would you be able to use it from Ada? No. Would you be able to use it
from Java? No.

The other way round: imagine a general-purpose operating system
written in Ada that did not bother to export its interfaces as C.
Would it become an attractive and popular development platform? No.

These are the forces that make the "lowest denominator" not just
preferred, but obligatory. Ignore this fact and you will be...
ignored.

> To me this seems like the prime example of effective
> software management: =A0Attract more people by requiring
> a seemingly minimal programming approach.

I don't claim that this "lowest denominator" is good.
I only claim that there is no alternative.

The only improvement that I'm aware of involves traveling back in time
and reinventing the IT industry.

--
Maciej Sobczak * http://www.inspirel.com