Re: Reasons NOT To Choose Ada

[geert@fozzie.sun3.iaf.nl (Geert Bosch)]

Boaz Chow (boaz@pipeline.com) wrote:
   5.1.  Can't feed my family with Ada.

   look at the newspaper,  they all want Visual Basic programmers for
   writting windows95 program.  My friend gradurated from an
   university.  He had to go buy a book called "TEACH YOURSELVES VISUAL
   BASIC IN 21 DAYS" for the job he was offered right after he was out
   of school.  (He was using NeXT Step from his school)

Your friend should be able to find a better job than that,
or he shouldn't have gone to University. 

Most companies produce lousy software that doesn't even come close
to work as it should.  Most projects are way behind on schedule, cost
much more than calculated and only deliver a partially finished product.

Some companies spend much time on planning, requirements analysis,
specification and *systematically* implementing a system, leading to a
high quality product that is delivered on time for the calculated
costs. 

The difference is called Software Engeneering and is something that
is taught at good universities. You'll learn that some tools help
software engineers by doing their jobs and some only get in the way,
although "programmers" might like the tool.

When your friend has a good software engineering background, it is very
easy for him to find a job at one of the companies in the second group.
Then it is more likely for him to be involved in a project using
Ada as implementation language than in a project using Visual Basic.

-- 
E-Mail: geert@sun3.iaf.nl