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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 115aec,f41f1f25333fa601,start X-Google-Attributes: gid115aec,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,a3ca574fc2007430 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Stanley R. Allen" Subject: Re: Ada and Automotive Industry Date: 1996/11/06 Message-ID: <3280DA96.15FB@hso.link.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 194916033 references: <55ea3g$m1j@newsbf02.news.aol.com> content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: NASA/Johnson Space Center mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.realtime x-mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (X11; I; IRIX 5.3 IP19) Date: 1996-11-06T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: ETHoierman wrote: > I see a lot about Ada in the aircraft > avionics world but I haven't seen > much on cars/trucks. Any suggested > reading material, forums, etc? > (I'm re-posting this note because it seems like my ISP can't deliver my usenet posts very well...) Russ Hersch compiles FAQ information on the embedded processor real-time market, and posts a notice each month to comp.realtime about the various processors, languages, kernels, tools, and vendors in that area. In the last FAQ I saw (10-1-96), he mentioned the automobile industry when discussing the growth of the embedded processor market, to quote: "The auto- motive market is the most important single driving force in the mocrocontroller market... several microcontroller families were developed specifically for automotive applications...". >From his overview, almost all of the languages used are loosely typed (assmebler, C, FORTH). Ada is not mentioned, in spite of the success that the avionics world has had with it. The two domains have so much in common, that it's just a shame that most of the automotive industry hasn't heard (much) of Ada. Both are building large real- time distributed systems with high reliability & safety requirements, with potentially long operations and maintenance phases. You would think that Tartan (now TI) or DDC-I, or one of the other cross-development Ada vendors would be able to make inroads in that environment. Top-tier Ada vendors have the editors, compilers, safety-certified kernels, debuggers, cross- development toolsets, etc. that are needed for the kind of development done by auto makers. Ada almost single-handedly drove the state-of-the-art in optimizing compiler technology in the 80's. The Ada83 market was very competitive, and some of the DoD embedded processors were quite tiny; the best minds in compiler optimization were hired and put to the task -- as a result, Ada code generators often equal or exceed C or even hand-coded assembly (see http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/news/1994/94018.htm). So, Ada is probably more than adequate to meet the performance needs of the automobile industry. As for the presumed prejudice against Ada, well... I have personally worked with a number of programmers that have come to Ada from a different background, including hard-core C developers; almost invariably they gain appreciation and respect for Ada after working with it on real projects. Prejudices start to break down with more familiarity. The Big Picture is grasped. Once you appreciate the problems that Ada was designed to solve, you appreciate the solutions it provides. And as the auto industry relies more and more on embedded software, it should begin to look at Ada and appreciate it more. Stanley Allen mailto:s_allen@hso.link.com