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=-1.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM, PLING_QUERY autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: a07f3367d7,b6d862eabdeb1fc4 X-Google-Attributes: gida07f3367d7,public,usenet X-Google-NewGroupId: yes X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news2.google.com!news1.google.com!news.glorb.com!newsfeed2.telusplanet.net!newsfeed.telus.net!edtnps82.POSTED!7564ea0f!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada From: Duke Normandin Subject: Re: Ada noob here! Is Ada widely used? References: <7GwJn.4712$z%6.3258@edtnps83> User-Agent: slrn/0.9.8.1 (Darwin) Message-ID: <4xAKn.4703$Z6.1197@edtnps82> Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 19:34:24 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 75.154.111.10 X-Trace: edtnps82 1274729664 75.154.111.10 (Mon, 24 May 2010 13:34:24 MDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 13:34:24 MDT Xref: g2news2.google.com comp.lang.ada:11931 Date: 2010-05-24T19:34:24+00:00 List-Id: On 2010-05-24, Luis Espinal wrote: > In article <7GwJn.4712$z%6.3258@edtnps83>, Duke Normandin says... >> >>Thanks for the URLs! I visited >>http://distrinet.cs.kuleuven.be/events/AdaEvent/abstracts.html#researchada >> >>To begin with. Looks like I should be learning SPARK? or should I start with >>Ada, _then_ graduate to SPARK? > > > I think you should learn either (SPARK or Ada), or maybe both (probably this is > what you should do). In that case, I'd go with Ada first. > > I took an Ada class on my 3rd year at university, and from then one, it was my > tool of choice (along with C++). I graduated, looked for Ada jobs, and could not > find much. I went to grad school all the while still looking for Ada jobs. > Eventually I settle to work with C++, and then with Java. > > I've been programming in Java for 11 years - 15 if I count the playing-around I > did with it since it came up in 95. And now, finally I might be able to get a > chance to work in C/C++. > > Still, every once in a while I search for Ada jobs. I keep seeing an opening for > a Sr. Ada programmer to assist in a conversion to C++. Plus I keep seeing that > people require X amount of years on Ada or C++ when hiring, so it is a > chicken-n-egg kind of thing. > > Putting all that lamentation aside, and the fact that I've never worked with it, > I'd say that it is the most influential language I've had (with the Pascal > family of languages.) > > Ever since I learned it, all other languages have felt a bit lacking when it > comes to develop software that is both 1) efficient and 2) looks and reads > correct. I think I'm a good software developer and engineer, and I honestly > don't think my skills would be as good as I think they are if it weren't because > of Ada. > > Learning Ada is how I learned how to program correctly. This is strictly > anecdotal and personal, so take it with a grain of salt. But my suggestion will > be to learn Ada for the sake of it in the hope it will improve your skills and > craft, however good they are now. > > If you happen to land a job in Ada, that will be an added bonus. Learning the > language and solving non-trivial problems with them, that's all the > justification one should need IMO. > > Good luck. > > - Luis Espinal. > Thank you Luis, for your insights. I can't help but feel sad and irritated that a language as useful as Ada has been characterized to be, by you and others, should not be more widely appreciated and used. I'm glad that I don't _have to_ program for a living. I do it because I enjoy it - got the bug in 1980. ;) BTW, do you know what language Ada is written in? I'd guess C and asm. -- Duke *** Tolerance becomes a crime, when applied to evil [Thomas Mann] ***