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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,bc1361a952ec75ca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-07-30 20:32:39 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news-hog.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!feeder.via.net!cyclone-sf.pbi.net!206.13.28.33!news.pacbell.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3B6627F7.8B1CC237@sneakemail.com> From: Russ Paielli <18k11tm001@sneakemail.com> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.77 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.4.3-20mdk i686) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: How to make Ada a dominant language References: <3B6555ED.9B0B0420@sneakemail.com> <9k3l9r$10i2$1@pa.aaanet.ru> <3B656345.64AB603A@sneakemail.com> <9k3oa1$2qg8$1@pa.aaanet.ru> <3B657715.7EC592D9@sneakemail.com> <3B6588FC.6D40C443@sneakemail.com> <87snfe9sir.fsf@520075220525-0001.dialin.t-online.de> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 20:37:27 -0700 NNTP-Posting-Host: 63.194.87.148 X-Complaints-To: abuse@pacbell.net X-Trace: news.pacbell.net 996550358 63.194.87.148 (Mon, 30 Jul 2001 20:32:38 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 20:32:38 PDT Organization: SBC Internet Services Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:10812 Date: 2001-07-30T20:37:27-07:00 List-Id: Milan Mancel wrote: > > I am new to Ada too, learning just for few weeks and I do not think > that there is any problem with Ada95 syntax. Well, I am not newbie to > programming, in my professional career I had to use many languages > (Fortran, Forth ...) and now I use Java, Python and C/C++ and I am > ready to try whatever interesting comes next and accept its syntax :) > > When I started with Ada, I really had problem with statements like > count: integer := 0; - well maybe for five seconds. Then I accepted > that things are that way and that it is pretty logical: > - you say that count is integer and it si zero > - you see variables first and only if you need to know the type you > read the second word on the line I understand what it means. I just find it backward. Backward does not mean wrong, just backward. I think an initialization statement should look like an assignment statement, so integer: x = 1 looks like x = 1 but x: integer := 1; does not look like x := 1; > I think if someone is not able to grasp this simple thing will not be > able understand more important parts of Ada and it is good for him/her > not to try further. OK, I give up. > The other thing - elimitating keyword "end" - no way! When I program > in Java, my code looks like: > > public int someMethod() { > blahblahblah > ... > ... > } // end someMethod I find those kinds of comments tacky. I will say, however, that if you are going to have end statements you might as well say what you are ending, and Ada got that right. I agree that does add to readability. > so I like Ada the way it is. > > If you want indentation part of the language, just use command line > switch in gnatmake and incorrect indentation will generate an style > error - so you are forced to use the right style. I didn't realize that. Why not go a step further and MANDATE the right structure? It would be consistent with the general Ada philosophy of mandating daily flossing and other good habits. Russ