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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 109fba,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: brashear@ns1.sw-eng.falls-church.va.us (Philip Brashear) Subject: Re: Any research putting c above ada? Date: 1997/04/10 Message-ID: <5ijb0o$ajc@ns1.sw-eng.falls-church.va.us>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 232135219 References: <5ih6i9$oct$1@waldorf.csc.calpoly.edu> Organization: None Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-04-10T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article , Richard Krehbiel wrote: >kgoldin@galaxy.csc.calpoly.edu (Konstantin B. Goldin) writes: > >> Hello, >> >> Is there any research out there, that, comparing c and ada, (or c++ and >> ada), gives advantage to the c side? > >Here's a bit of research you can do yourself. > >Can you go to the computer store and buy Microsoft Visual Ada 5.0? >Borland Turbo Ada? Watcom Ada 4.0? Can you find *anybody's* Ada >compiler at the local Comp USA store? No. Of course, you can't find a Bentley or Rolls at a Hyundai dealership, either. Does this prove anything? Konstantin, the big advantage Ada has over these C dialects and Java thingies and Visual Basics is that it was designed to make large software systems easier to get right -- not necessarily easier to get on the market, but easier to GET RIGHT. There IS a language standard (which is not the case for C++, Java, or Visual Basic), there ARE certification procedures for Ada compilers, and Ada compilers help the programmer avoid certain common errors. As an example, look at the current Communications of the ACM. There's an article on "bugs" that cites a few examples. Two-thirds of the examples would have been prevented by any certified Ada compiler. Interestingly, the author seemed to assume that all software was written in C or one of its derivatives. His point wasn't that we needed help in avoiding these bugs, but help in locating them after they've been created. The whole special issue part of this issue talks about the disgraceful state of debuggers, as if these common bugs are unavoidable and must always be found AFTER the fact. Don't listen to the argument that Ada loses because it's not popular. It's arguably the best language for producing software that works right. Phil Brashear CTA INCORPORATED On my way to EDS and Adjunct faculty member at the University of Dayton (which uses Ada as its core CS language) None of these organizations take any responsibility for my opinions, nor I theirs.