Re: Ada policy enforcement

[mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman)]

In article <4ism6v$dfr@ra.nrl.navy.mil>,
Richard Pitre <pitre@n5160d.nrl.navy.mil> wrote:
>
>If Ada were *manifestly* better then there would be no need to enforce it.
>Enforcment is the last refuge of the terminaly confused and soon to be
>extinct. (Contract specification is a different matter, and yes you
>can spank me for the unattributed misquote.)  

What do you mean, "contract specification is a different matter?"
The Ada policy simply says, "if you're writing code for DoD, write
it in Ada." That is, they're making a global contract requirement.
There are perfectly decent waiver procedures for cases where Ada does
not make sense. DoD is paying the piper; they have the privilege of
calling the tune.

If DoD wants its ambulances built on HumVee chassis, I'm sure you
wouldn't dispute their right to say so; it's their (our) money. Simply 
ignoring the policy and delivering an ambulance built on a Cadillac would 
be nonresponsive; the PM who accepted a Cadillac would (or ought to)
be fired.

>It is true that real educational experiences are very expensive from many 
>perspectives. Perhaps those who first considered the need for Ada did not
>correctly assess the cost of a complete solution to the problems that Ada 
>attempts to address. The federal government should learn from the DoD
>experience and establish standards and certification mechanisms in areas
>of software development affecting public safety. 

I could not agree more; that's an independent issue.

>No direct enforcement, just support for real education, 
>standards of performance, and certification. 

Gimme a break. DoD is buying software for dollars. My dollars and
yours. If DoD wants to say "write the manuals in English; ask for
a waiver if, for some reason, you feel you must write in Sanskrit"
I'm sure you'd run screaming to your congressperson if you heard that
some contractor wrote manuals in Sanskrit without permission.

DoD policy is "if you write code for us, write it in Ada. Ask for a
waiver if you don't think this applies to you. We are paying for this
stuff, and we therefore have the right to write the specs."

What on _earth_ is wrong with this?

My only problem with the policy is the persistent rumors that contractors
aren't bothering to ask for waivers and are getting away with it. 
If these rumors are true, it's a scandal. Either it's policy or it ain't.

I don;t get it. The HumVee issue is clear. The manuals issue is clear.
What not clear about the Ada issue?

Mike Feldman