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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,85034d1ac78a66eb X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-03-12 17:46:05 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.cwix.com!newscon02.news.prodigy.com!newsmst01.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!postmaster.news.prodigy.com!newssvr16.news.prodigy.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID: <3C8EAFF7.B6CFF9A6@flash.net> From: Gary Scott Reply-To: scottg@flash.net Organization: Home X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-DIAL (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada Operating System References: <3c77b476.322111671@news.cis.dfn.de> <3C88E0D1.89161C16@despammed.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 64.48.222.206 X-Complaints-To: abuse@prodigy.net X-Trace: newssvr16.news.prodigy.com 1015983911 ST000 64.48.222.206 (Tue, 12 Mar 2002 20:45:11 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 20:45:11 EST X-UserInfo1: TSU[@I_A\S@USWTXZBNJOFL@YB\@QAPDLXUNNHPIMASJETAANVW[AKWZE\]^XQWIGNE_[EBL@^_\^JOCQ^RSNVLGTFTKHTXHHP[NB\_C@\SD@EP_[KCXX__AGDDEKGFNB\ZOKLRNCY_CGG[RHT_UN@C_BSY\G__IJIX_PLSA[CCFAULEY\FL\VLGANTQQ]FN Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 01:45:11 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:21141 Date: 2002-03-13T01:45:11+00:00 List-Id: If we want an open source version of an existing operating system, why in the world pick an abomination like UNIX. At least choose something half-way decent like VMS or even VM. Pam Kelly wrote: > > Hard to know which post to reply to but for what it's worth ... > > Linux has a huge following because it's free, there are masses of GPL > applications available for it and there are increasingly a very significant > number of heavy duty commercial applications available. > > So rewrite the Linux kernel in Ada. People might try it as a curiosity since > they'll be able to use all their existing applications. It won't be > frightening. > > Pick some applications with a long track record of vulnerabilities such as > sendmail or bind. Rewrite them in Ada. There'll be more vulnerabilities > reported and the Ada versions will be immune. Publicise it. > > The security community will start taking an interest. Because it is > compatible with existing applications it's a viable os as it stands. They > start to recommend an incremental move to applications written in Ada. > > Then you can substitute a new improved kernel. > > We're working on it. If you're interested let me know. > > "Wes Groleau" wrote in message > news:3C88E0D1.89161C16@despammed.com... > > > > A pessimist's viewpoint: > > > > To make an operating system successful, you need > > at least one of > > > > - sufficient quantity of useful applications > > > > - sufficient geek appeal to attract developers. > > > > - sufficent robustness/power/features to overcome > > the lack of either of the others. > > > > To get people to write applications that run on it, > > it must have enough users to make people want to > > write apps for it. So you have a chicken/egg problem > > for the first point. > > > > For the second, you have the prevailing distaste for > > Ada against you ("Us" if you will). > > > > On the robustness/power/features point, obviously > > Ada has a significant advantage over C/C++/Java. > > > > BUT, when you multiply the language potential > > by the number of developers, Linux still comes > > out ahead. In spite of its implementation language, > > Linux is quite robust, and it has hundreds of > > developers for every AdaOS developer to keep it > > that way. Shift the target to features, and > > Microsoft will always have you beat there. > > They will always sacrifice security/robustness > > to beat any competition in features. And their > > "if you can't beat 'em, steal 'em" technique > > also applies. > > > > So on the third point, you have say a hundred > > developers and a language that scores ten on > > some arbitrary rating scale vs. several thousand > > developers and a language that scores one or two. > > > > Do the math and Ada loses. Unfortunately. > > > > -- > > Wes Groleau > > http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~wgroleau -- Gary Scott mailto:scottg@flash.net mailto:webmaster@fortranlib.com http://www.fortranlib.com Support the GNU Fortran G95 Project: http://g95.sourceforge.net