Re: Ada The Best Language?

[Tucker Taft <stt@avercom.net>]

codesavvy wrote:
> 
> I don't care if you think I'm trolling, I'm not.  I think the answer
> is rather obvious, Ada has nothing to offer that is substantially
> better than what C++ offers.  

Ada compilers catch a much larger number of errors
at compile-time than C++ compilers.  That is the
major advantage, in my view.  Furthermore, Ada programs
can say "more" things which are checked by the compiler
(such as numeric type distinctions, index type for arrays,
generic formal parameter requirements, etc.), so that
not only does an Ada compiler catch more errors,
programmers can make more compile-time distinctions
which helps reduce subsequent "bit decay" during maintenance.

The net effect is that Ada programs tend to be much
more "solid" in terms of bugs/line over their lifetime.
Or equivalently, it costs significantly less to get an
Ada system to the required level of quality, because the
language and the tools help minimize the number of bugs
that make it into the test and integration phase.

> ... I've read posts in this news group that
> extoll Ada for it's many virtues but the truth of the matter is that
> they are overrated if they exist at all.  Are there any statistics
> that state that Ada leads to more reliable, maintainable, or robust
> code than does C++? 

Yes, there are several studies which confirm that test and integration
requires much less time with Ada systems, and that error rates are
lower after deployment.  Certainly anecdotal evidence in companies
that do projects in both languages is that, even with the exact
same programming staff, Ada systems generally have lower error rates
and/or higher overall design-to-deployment productivity.

> ... What class(es) of programming problems does Ada
> solve that C++ can't?

Safety critical systems, where you can't afford to be debugging
in the "field."

-- 
-Tucker Taft   stt@avercom.net   http://www.avercom.net
Chief Technology Officer, AverCom Corporation (A Titan Company) 
Bedford, MA  USA (AverCom was formerly the Commercial Division of AverStar:
http://www.averstar.com/~stt)