Re: Software Engineering News Brief

[John Cosby <John.D.Cosby@cpmx.saic.com>]

Software Engineering News wrote:
> 
> Software Engineering News Brief
> Week Ending 11/1/96.
> *******************************
> YEAR 2000  NO PROBLEM FOR ADA
> 
> Ada developers who've been scorned by the C/C++ camp might be laughing
> all the way to the year 2000.
> 
> Ada applications aren't likely to fail any time between now and January 1,
> 2000, or beyond, for the simple reason that Ada doesn't let programmers
> represent dates in two-digit shorthand.
> 
> "There's no problem with Ada," said Jacques Brygier, marketing director
> for Thompson Software Products.  "The language has been defined in a way
> that you cannot make this kind of mistake."
> 
> According to Dr. Charles Engle, chief of the Ada Joint Program Office, the
> Ada language itself has built-in dates from 1901 to 2099, thus eliminating
> the 2000 problem.

Ah, but do the applications programmed in Ada use this?

I worked on a system for a branch of the military where Ada was used to
drive a database - and the tables contain 2-digit year fields.  We
pointed
this out, we went and said it very clear, we went and shouted in their
ears -
and the military folk said we had to leave it that way, for
compatibility 
with their existing systems.  We were told to assume dates between 00
and 49
were in the 2000s.

The language can't overcome obstinance on the part of the customer.
-- 
John Cosby                    SAIC Orlando               
John.D.Cosby@cpmx.saic.com    (407) 282-6700 x216