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: fac41,2c6139ce13be9980 X-Google-Attributes: gidfac41,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,3d3f20d31be1c33a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,2c6139ce13be9980 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public X-Google-Thread: f43e6,2c6139ce13be9980 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public From: Nick Leaton Subject: Re: Safety-critical development in Ada and Eiffel Date: 1997/08/14 Message-ID: <33F30341.19F7DDE6@calfp.co.uk>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 264160214 X-NNTP-Posting-Host: calfp.demon.co.uk [158.152.70.168] References: <33E9ADE9.4709@flash.net> <33F133D7.71AC@erols.com> <33F25933.7F83@flash.net> Newsgroups: comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.eiffel Date: 1997-08-14T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Ken Garlington wrote: > > Ted Velkoff wrote: > > > > There is an important distinction between including/removing assertions > > and monitoring/not monitoring them during execution. One of the > > principal benefits of Eiffel is the fact that assertions remain in the > > code (where programmers will see them) even if they are not tested > > dynamically (this is controlled by a compile-time switch). Whether or > > not this would have saved Ariane V, the documentation and testing > > benefits of Eiffel's assertions would benefit many, many software > > projects. > > This is certainly reasonable. However, once the execution capabilities > are removed, it seems fair to ask what Eiffel provides that comments > (available in most langauges) don't provide. If there is not a > significant > difference, then Eiffel would not be any better (in this context) than > any other language, so long as the DBC principles were followed. There is one advantage. If your assertions are compiled, they must conform to a set restricted style. Comments are, on the other hand very free form. I think it is reasonable to say that the compiled assertions are less likely to be ambiguous than if they are just a comment. They are more likely to be correct if they have been executed and tested. -- Nick