Re: Office Naval Research seemingly not interested in Ada

[agate!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!udecc]

In article <SRCTRAN.93Jul27202554@world.std.com>, srctran@world.std.com (Gregor
y Aharonian) writes:
|> >Bottom line:  ONR/ARPA/DoD labs engage in research -- personal preference
|> >is as good a criteria as any for language selection in many research
|> >projects.  Who cares?  The result of the research independent of these
|> >"details" is the important part.
|> 
|> No! No! No!  The Ada Mandate applies to all DoD software activities,
                                                            ^----------
|> INCLUDING RESEARCH.  A stupid application of the Mandate, but the Mandate
|> is a law of the land.  Personal preference is irrelevant, under the current
|> terms of the Mandate.  If you want a more realistic approach, as advocated
|> by Admiral Tuttle, fine, have Congress pass a new version of the Mandate
|> with all of these exceptions explicitly worded.

Is the word in the law really activities or something else?  (What's an
activity?)  If it says "development" or "acquisition" or is tied to certain
kinds of money, then perhaps the basic research guys are off scott free.
But, >>I<< personally (US citizen - no ad hominem attacks on uniform types
necessary) don't care what languages a researcher uses when language-related
issues aren't part of the research.  The product of research is the idea not
some software product.

|> But until then, any DoD software research not done in Ada (for any reason
|> other than cost-effectiveness which only occasionally is true) is a 
|> violation of a federal law.  This makes the DoD the largest criminal
|> (in the misdemeanor sense) organization in the country, based on current
|> non-Ada use.

You seem pretty sure of this, so why not press charges or sue...

|> It amazes me the number of uniform-types inside the DoD who have no idea
|> that the Mandate applies to everything, including research and MIS stuff.
|> I am constantly getting private email from uniform-types 'correcting' me
|> on this issue.  An educational campaign is needed real soon.

I'd rather spend the money on research...  (Note that MIS stuff is not
excluded by any other wording of the mandate as discussed above).

-- 
Christopher A. Warack, Capt, USAF
Computer Science Department, US Air Force Academy

cwarack@kirk.usafa.af.mil                (719) 472-2401