Re: Off the record, Pentagon "admits" its apathy to Ada

[weisek@source.asset.com (Kevin Weise)]

In article <D047DF.M3E@world.std.com>,
Gregory Aharonian <srctran@world.std.com> wrote:
>
>   Consider then the following article that appeared in the October 21 issue
>of the "Inside the Air Force" newsletter, page 7 
>
>	Contributing to the sluggishness with which Ada has been adopted
>	by DoD is a relative lack of software developers who are well
>	versed in the primarily military-oriented language.  
>
>	"Not many people speak Ada", said one source.
>
>I would like to know who these DoD officials are, and why their comments
>have to be made anonymously.  
>

Well, for once I agree with Greg.  It's a good point.  I'd like to
follow up with my own experience, which is that its damned hard for
people with Ada experience to get staffed on Ada projects.  

pragma Flame (On);

I started teaching Ada at Martin-Marietta in the early '80's, left there
in 1985 when I realized that the ONLY way I was going to get to use Ada 
was to find a project at a different company.  I worked at E-Systems in St.
Petersburg, FL for quit a while and did get some great experience using
Ada in communications systems (none of which were mentioned in the AdaIC
projects list, BTW).  Left there because of what I perceived to be
management problems regarding software in general and Ada in particular.
I worked at Reflectone in Tampa FL, but was passed up for an Air Force
project (ATF?, actually run by Loral) even though I was the only one
there with significant Ada experience.  I've been here at COLSA for 3
years now, and the only Ada use that I've had has been for approx. 9
months on a simulation system that has lost its funding in the
post-Cold War era.  Right now, I'm working on a project using C++ on a
PC-based system.  All the original arguments for not using Ada (need it
right away, can't afford retraining or expensive development
environments, etc.) have been swept away, even though R&R Software could
have provided us with an Ada solution.  

I have found it *extremely* difficult to find a position on a real-world
project using Ada, even though I have had years of experience.  And what
about all the other people with whom I've worked?  They've experienced 
the same problem.  My wife was Chairperson of Huntsville SIGAda several
years ago.  She's running benchmarks now... as she has been for the last
three years.  COLSA operates the Advanced Research Center and the
Simulation Center for the USASSDC.  Our management says "the customer"
has not been mandating the use of Ada for years, and now says that Ada
is dead.  In this era of "rightsizing", they appear to be prepared to
back that up with pink slips.  I know of several projects here from
USASSDC and MICOM that have simply ignored the mandate.  And I'm tired
of being passed over because I "don't have the background".  I sometimes
believe I'm being passed over because I *DO* have Ada experience.

pragma Flame (Off);

I've probably put myself at risk here just by responding.  And yes, I
probably could have worked AN-BSY, or some other big project for Major 
Defense Contractor if I had been willing to become a high-tech migrant
worker moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles to Lord-knows-where-next
when the current project ends.  But that's a different issue.  The
bottom line is that I can't buy the argument that there aren't enough 
Ada people when the powers that be don't even try to find them, or even
to use the ones they have.

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Kevin J. Weise			weisek@source.asset.com
COLSA Corporation		Voice - (205) 922-1512 ext. 2115
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{Standard Disclaimers about my opinions & my employer's opinions}
{... which are in conflict often enough}
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