Re: ada vs. cpp

[James Rogers <jimmaureenrogers@worldnet.att.net>]

Mike Mohr wrote:
> 
> Since we are discussing orthogonal language features
> which constitute string defects if not present, how
> do I explicitly pass Ada strings by value or reference?

Why do you care if it is by value or by reference? Is it not more
important to ensure that is passed as a constant or non-constant
value? 

Giving the explicit capacity to pass by value or reference requires
you to know the underlying architecture and word size. For 
instance, passing by reference may not be more efficient than a
two-way copy of items that can fit in a word. Ada places the
responsibility for this knowledge on the compiler vendor and not on
the application programmer. Use of such knowledge may make your
program less portable. Use of the Ada approach does not sacrifice
portability.

Jim Rogers
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA