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: 103376,66752102482bbdca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Robert I. Eachus" Subject: Re: Required Metrics Date: 2000/05/18 Message-ID: <39235FD0.C58AAB60@earthlink.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 624816645 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit References: <5DDO4.2237$wb7.194854@news.flash.net> <8ek4ea$5ta$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <8es65n$5hn$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <%MoQ4.7915$wb7.556168@news.flash.net> <8eulom$u8m$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <3914F1DC.A5EE1751@earthlink.net> X-Accept-Language: en,pdf Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Complaints-To: abuse@earthlink.net X-Trace: newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net 958619522 63.24.60.10 (Wed, 17 May 2000 20:12:02 PDT) Organization: The MITRE Corporation MIME-Version: 1.0 NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 20:12:02 PDT Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 2000-05-18T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: (I said:) > > Again, from a user's point of view, all this nit-picking is > > irrelevant. A user who needs, say, a compiler which never takes more > > than 1 millisecond for a clock interrupt is not going to be satisfied > > with some random document. He or she is going to write those > > requirements in the purchasing contract. Any such requirements in the > > contract will not specify that this or that feature be documented, but > > the actual required performance. I was not saying that you should have a compiler built to your special order, although I have been in the position of writing such contracts (for hardware vendors). I was saying that when you are setting the requirements for a compiler for YOUR particular project, you look at what YOUR specific requirements are, and then write a requirements document, possibly an RFP, and a purchase contract. If a compiler is available off the shelf that does meet your requirements for a large, long-duration project, there is a major advantage to writing those key requirements into the purchase order. It informs the vendor that those particular features are key requirements for your project, and that you will need long term support for a compiler that meets those requirements. The compiler vendor, when planning enhancements of his product, will look at his support requirements and pay attention to them. Of course, if you write a detailed contract which documents every possible detail of the expected product, the vendor will ignore those requirements when planning significant revisions. He will expect you to continue to use the current compiler version, perhaps with some patches. He can afford to halt progress to support you and still be a viable competitor. (Actually, it sounds like Ken did get into this situation--imposing enough requirements on the vendor to prevent him from staying competitive.)