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From: Dan Nagle <dnagle@erols.com>
Subject: Re: should I be interested in ada?
Date: 1999/02/18
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NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 Feb 1999 19:33:32 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1999-02-18T19:33:32+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

Hello,

Nick Roberts wrote:
> 
<snip requoted material and examples>

> Having built your 'helper' functions and procedures, there really is nothing
> in Fortran that cannot be done almost as easily (and as, or almost as,
> efficiently) in Ada. My examples have been in terms of array facilities, but
> the principle applies to everything else in Fortran.
> 
> So, hopefully, my original point stands.

The only point I would take issue with is the efficiency issue.
Fortran has evolved a stack of rules, including but not limited
to anti-aliasing rules, which make for a great deal of freedom
for an optimizer to work.  (This is the point which usually trips
up the "at last, C/C++  is faster than Fortran" argument.)

I don't know enough about the optimization rules of Ada to know
where Ada stands on this issue, nor do I know how much Ada can
gain from its pragmas.  But raw floating point speed is Fortran's
long suit.

Also, Fortran's intrinsic library has (usually hand) optimized
matrix multiply, dot product, locate maximum element, locate
minimum element, etc.

I know Fortran fairly well, I'm learning Ada and like it so far.
Right now, if I had to fly, I'd like the airplane to be designed
in Fortran, with the fly-by-wire done in Ada.  Just trying to use
the right tool for the right job.

Please feel free to enlighten me about Ada's optimization capabilities.

<snip sig>

-- 

Cheers!
Dan Nagle		dnagle@erols.com