Re: Is DoD simulation ignoring using Ada?????

[helliott@losat.redstone.army.mil (Doc Elliott)]

In article <D0DGF8.IGJ@world.std.com>, srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian) says:
>
>
>     To what extent are DoD modelling and simulation efforts being encouraged
>to do their work in Ada?  Based on general DoD behavior in the past, probably
>not much, and based on studies of DoD simulation publications, apparently not
>much.
>

Deletia

    From the POV of one who deals with this on a everyday basis, there are some
explanations in order.  First of all, based on previous posts here in CLA, there
are no tools available to support Ada bindings to the DIS protocol (yet?).  There are
several sets of tools in C and C++ (Loral's CLIP, I believe, is a good example,
as well as Mak Technology's VRLink).

    The perception also exists that Ada does not support graphics as well as C and
C++.  The SGI platform that most of our Virtual Prototypes run on is rich with
such tools as Paradigm Sims (audio) and Software Systems Multigen which works
well with the Paradigm "Vision Works" tools.  All of this stuff is C based,
commercially available, pretty well rung out, and has a good user base.  Also,
all of the Modualr Semi-Automated Forces (ModSAF) stuff with which you have to
play in DIS is written in C.  Big legacy.

Greg, I agree with you most of the time.  But in this case, I had my contractor
look into doing our VPS in Ada, and the result was: "Sure!  We'd love to!  Now,
about the extra gazigabuck for the additional programmer for writing the DIS
PDU interface, and oh, there's a bunch of extra effort for rendering the
graphics, and our whole team has no Ada experience, and what compilers should
we look into, and . . . ."  I was unable to overcome the reality.

BTW, anybody out there want a viable product to work on?  Build a robust set
of Ada tools for DIS interface, and you probably got a long term business
proposition.  I just wish I could afford a Windows Ada compiler...

Doc Elliott
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