Re: Ada The Best Language?

[Lao Xiao Hai <laoxhai@ix.netcom.com>]

codesavvy wrote:

> Then Ada will be forever relegated to a fulfilling specific niches.  I
> believe you'll see more organizations switching from Ada to C++ rather
> than the other way around.

With the abrogation of the Ada "mandate" there was an exodus from the
safe haven of Ada to the wilderness of C++.   For many organizations,
there was a "grass is always greener" effect.   As this transition from
reliability to unreliability proceeded, a few intelligent managers realized,
once they fully understood the implications of C++, the folly of their
decision.   Those who are able to stop this silliness, are sticking
to Ada.  For others, the inexorable slide into spending more to produce
the same level of reliability they enjoyed with Ada has reached a point
of no return.   Those who have turned back will realize economic benefits
of their decision.   Those who have not will simply waste more DoD money.

It is interesting, also, to note that we are already hearing prophecies about
the death of C++.  One only need turn the page to comp.lang.C++.moderated
to note the presence of doomsayers.  Languages typically do not die off so
quickly.  We continue to have people maintaining Jovial, CMS-2, TACPOL,
COBOL-68, and other elderly languages.   The communications satellites,
as well as other vehicles programmed in Ada have a lifetime of upwards
of twenty years.  People will still be learning Ada to maintain that software
a long time from now.  The same will be true of C++.

Richard Riehle
AdaWorks Software Engineering
richard@adaworks.com