Re: Any research putting c above ada?

[amd001@its.maynick.com.au (Andrew Dunstan)]

Matthew Givens (NKSW39B@prodigy.com) wrote:

: Alan Brain <aebrain@dynamite.com.au> wrote:
: >
: >Matthew Givens wrote:
: >
: >> Of course not.  The thing to remember is that different languages fit
: >> different tasks, and different programmers are suited to different
: >> languages.  I am a highly proficient C programmer, but only a 
: moderately
: >> skilled Ada programmer.  

This is a worrying statement. If you are a skilled programmer, you
would pick up languages like a sponge and not be worried about small
things like syntax. If you think you are highly proficient in C but
only moderately skilled in Ada, either you have not done enough Ada or
you are not thinking about things at an appropriate level ... most of
your thought should be at a language independent level.

: >> In fact, I often rough out algorythms in C
: >> before implementing them in the Ada version.  Why?  Because I don't 
: have
: >> to think so much of the surface furnishings of Ada and can concentrate 
: on
: >> just the functionality.  It would save a lot of time if I didn't have 
: to
: >> write the Ada version, wouldn't it?
: >
: >That's amazing. Because I do the design in Ada, before coding in C/C++.
: >I'm a skilled Ada-83 programmer, a tyro at -95, poor average at C (OK,
: >average average, the average is pretty p*ss poor IMHO) and a neophyte 
: at
: >C++.

: And that's my point.  What works well for one programmer doesn't work 
: well for another.  Concerning us, what works for me is the exact opposite 
: of what works for you.  So, forcing me to work with your method 
: dramatically reduces my efficiency, and vice versa.

: To reiterate my point again, each programmer is tempermentally fitted to 
: one type of language, and that language is "best" for him.  Trying to 
: determine if a language is "better" or "best" is subjective, and must 
: take into account the task being attempted and the programmer who's 
: working on it.

If you work on a large software project, this is a recipe for
disaster. You can't just let programmers "do the thing that fits them
temperamentally". There must be standards etc. After all, the major
cost in most large s/w projects is not in initial coding but in
maintenance. This is where Ada shines - it is aimed at being easily
maintainable, easier on the reader at the cost of a little more trouble
to the writer. That's why many proigrammers hate it, of course, but is
the very reason that many more managers should love it.

cheers

andrew


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