Re: Problem space and solution space

["Robert I. Eachus" <rieachus@attbi.com>]

Amir Yantimirov wrote:

> The prime example of solution space thing is all sorts of
> container/collections libraries, generic or common root ones. So the
> lack of such standard libraries in Ada is a prooth of Ada's problem
> orientiness. :))

No, when developing the various libraries, the problem space is the 
class of all problems to which the solution can be mapped.

In a sense you are right though.  In Ada you tend not to have one sort 
package in your toolbox, or one list type implementation, you have 
several.  Now the programmer solving some problem sees a part of his 
decomposition that can be solved by a list package or a sort package, 
and does a generic instantiation.  The problem is that there is no easy 
way, in Ada, to express a binding to a member of the class of sort 
generics, but to delay the choice of the actual mapping.

This is why one of the features I expect interfaces to add to Ada is a 
better way of organizing collections of sort algorithms and the like.