The mainstream will pass you by

[ted@grebyn.com (Ted Holden)]

In all the fuss over the new Government mandate for Ada, an editorial
in the December issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal might have gone mostly
unnoticed.  This was a long article on the future of the C++ programming
language which contained, among much other information, the following
paragraph:

    "Despite these difficulties, it is clear that the language will be
    the mainstream development vehicle of the 90's.  Not wishing to
    start any religious wars, I believe that Smalltalk is simpler, 
    cleaner, more powerful, and can exist in a fast enough
    implementation.   Yet C++ will prevail, for reasons that are as
    much cultural, historical, and business oriented as they are
    technological."

When Cobol came out, there were no better answers lying around in
private industry, and Cobol succeeded because industry bought off on it.
Nobody is buying off on Ada other than the US government.  The very best
you can hope for is an eternity of spending ten times the money and ten
times the time for everything you ever do from now on;  you will have no
help from the mainstream of American computer science.  You shall have
to re-invent every wheel.  First time.  Every time.  You have just been
consigned to oblivion.  It shall be said of you:

    (Isaiah 1:4)
    "Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
    evildoers, children that are corrupters:  they have forsaken the Lord,
    they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, THEY ARE
    GONE AWAY BACKWARD."


Ted Holden
HTE