Re: C is 'better' than Ada because...

["Theodore E. Dennison" <dennison@escmail.orl.mmc.com>]

Tim Behrendsen wrote:
> 
> This sounds to me like the "Macintosh" argument; if only the general
> public weren't so ignorant, the Macintosh would be the dominant
> platform.  Never mind the very real problems with the platform.

Nope. I never said that, and wouldn't imply it. 

I have heard that argument used (fallciously) against Ada, and that
appears to be what you are attempting to do here. The problem is that
you are trying to introduce an analogy that just does not hold.

That argument works when you are talking hardware, because folks
don't want to switch hardware when none of their old software will 
run with it, and very little software is available for it. 

This just doesn't follow with languages. My Ada software will run on
any platform I write it to, no matter how few other Ada programs run
on that platform. It simply doesn't matter what the "general public"
(whoever that is) uses. It won't hurt your sales one iota to use
Ada instead of BLISS+++ (or whatever is "fashonable" these days). In
fact, if your customers care about reliablity, it will probably
HELP sales (then again, its 1:30 PM and I'm still sober, so obviously
I know NOTHING about Sales :-) ).

> Based on your post, Ada is only appropriate for mission critical
> applications, and not for other applications? Again, the question,

I don't believe I ever claimed such a restriction on Ada's usefullnes. 
In fact, I have used Ada with good effect for database and GUI 
applications. It is true that the more you care about reliablity, the
more you appreciate Ada. Such concerns are rightfully the most acute in
the domains I mentioned, but I should hope they are not absent elswhere.

> and I ask this respectfully, "If it's so good, why isn't it used more
> universally than it is?"  And, if C is so bad (in many people's opinion,
> not mine), why is it used almost universally, despite its acknowledged,
> real problems?

And, I ask this equally respectfully, "Why do I care?" In fact, I HOPE 
our compeditors use C. It gives our products quite a "head start", 
where quality (and often cost) are concerned.


-- 
T.E.D.          
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