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=2.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_50,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,a35e3d187fce76ba X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Dennis W. Butler" Subject: Re: Service Academies Date: 1997/04/01 Message-ID: <334157AD.3DB0@galaxy.csc.calpoly.edu>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 229930053 References: <5hpjgp$sb@uuneo.neosoft.com> Organization: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Reply-To: dbutler@galaxy.csc.calpoly.edu Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-04-01T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Robert B. Love wrote: > > Do I remember someone saying that the USAF is teaching cadets > Ada? I've been on the phone today with recruiters talking > about Colorado Springs. The woman told me she had no call > for Ada programmers but C++/GUI was hot and had been growing. > This firm dealt only with aerospace, not the telcom companies. > > So my actual questions are: > > a) Is Ada being taught to Air Force cadets? > > b) Why, if right outside their gates it isn't being > used? Universities are not vocational-technical schools. They (hopefully) teach principles and concepts using the best methods available. Since Ada is a modern programming language with direct support of sound software engineering principles, many Universities use it as an instructional language. After graduation, students will apply the principles and concepts they've learned in their professional environment. If that environment is a decade or so behind (in technological terms), then the graduates will have been equipped with the most modern methods so they can cope with such backwardness. My expectation is that, in the next few years, students who have been exposed to a better way in school will rise to decision-making positions in the industry and implement systems with modern methods. As an aside, it seems to me that Mr. Love's posting begs the questions: Should Universities follow the industry or lead it? Dennis Butler Computer Science Department California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo