From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: ** X-Spam-Status: No, score=2.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_DATE, MSGID_SHORT,REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!elroy!mahendo!jplgodo!wlbr!etn-rad!jru From: jru@etn-rad.UUCP (John Unekis) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: "C" vrs ADA Message-ID: <253@etn-rad.UUCP> Date: Tue, 18-Aug-87 14:09:26 EDT Article-I.D.: etn-rad.253 Posted: Tue Aug 18 14:09:26 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 11:50:16 EDT References: <1065@vu-vlsi.UUCP> Reply-To: jru@etn-rad.UUCP (0000-John Unekis) Distribution: na Organization: Eaton Inc. IMSD, Westlake Village, CA Keywords: Any suggestions? Xref: mnetor comp.lang.ada:512 comp.lang.c:3777 sci.space:2586 sci.space.shuttle:261 List-Id: In article <1065@vu-vlsi.UUCP> harman@vu-vlsi.UUCP (Glen Harman) writes: > >Hello, sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled news articles, but I >didn't know where else to turn... > >I am a senior EE student whose current career goal is to work in an aerospace >and/or military research field. To better my chances, I would like to >supplement my Fortran skills with another language. "C" has been recommended >to me many times, and I was just about to buy a manual when I started hearing >about ADA. > >I have heard that is is the DoD language, but what does that mean? Are all >aerospace and military contractors required to use it? Is it suggested learningfor the major corporate engineers? Is it filtering down into the public >engineering sectors? Is it too specialized to be applied elsewhere if I didn't >get the desired job? > The ada language is far more than just a language. Ada includes standards for editors,compilers, and run-time symbolic debuggers. The C language evolved at AT&T in the process of developing the UNIX operating system. There were, beleive it or not, an A language and a B language that preceded it. Finally with the C language the original developer of the UNIX operating system (which was done on a PDP-7 microcomputer) felt that he had what he wanted. It was a moderately structured language , with a syntax that was similar to the UNIX c shell (or vice versa). As UNIX gained wide acceptance the C language became more popular. It has the advantage over FORTRAN of having structured variable types, but without the overly elaborate type checking done by a language like PASCAL. It does share with Pascal the fact that each was developed by a single individual and thus represents that individuals prejudices in computer languages. C is now widely available outside the UNIX community and is a defacto standard with many companies. It is often the case in military/aerospace procurements that in order to generalize the request for computer hardware so as not to sole source a single vendor the government will ask for UNIX because it is the only operating system that can be had on a non-proprietary basis on a variety of computer hardware. UNIX of course brings C right along with it. Because UNIX does not handle real-time applications (such as interrupt handling) very well, and because there was no non- proprietary standard for real-time operating systems, the government(DOD) wanted to develop such a standard. Also, the DOD had a problem with each branch of the service having its own non-compatible languages for software development(COBOL,JOVIAL, CMS-II,FORTRAN,C,etc.). It has been decided that the DOD will develop a standard computer language that will include standards for editors, compilers, run-time debuggers, and even operating system functions for real-time processing. This standard was named ADA, (the name of the mistress of Charles Babbage, who invented a punched card driven loom, considered to be the first computer, she was rumored to be the first person to ever write a program on punched cards- why her name is appropriate for a real-time language is a mystery). If you are interested in the military/aerospace field then ADA is definitely the language to learn. Be aware that it is a very complex language (Carnegie Mellon University is rumored to have required it for all sophomores- which resulted in flunking out half their sophomore class) and that to learn it properly you must find a DOD certified implementation which includes the editors, compilers, and debuggers as well. The DOD plans eventually to require ALL software to be done in ADA, but they realize that there is enormous inertia against it. Thousands of programmers must be retrained, and millions of lines of code converted. Don't expect to see ADA used very widely outside of the DOD environment. It will fail for the same reason that Pascal, Modula2, C, PL1, and others have failed - IBM is the dominant force in the commercial market(~75 percent of all commercial installations) and COBOL dominates the IBM installed base (~90 percent of IBM applications are in COBOL). As long as computers remain basically Von Neuman processors, no language is going to offer any advantages in the real world to a language like COBOL. No business is going to go through the 3 to 5 years effort of retraining and converting of existing code just to satisfy the dogmatic prejudices of computer-science weenies. The DOD is perfectly capable, however, of making contractors like Boeing, Lockheed, TRW, Eaton,etc. jump through the ADA hoop just by refusing to accept bids which do not include ADA. Therefore if you want a career in military/aerospace, go for ADA. --------------------------------------------------------------- ihnp4!wlbr!etn-rad!jru - The opinions above were mine when I thought of them, by tomorrow they may belong to someone else.