Re: A non-programmers interpretation of Ada code

[crebralfix@angelfire.com (tom)]

Preben Randhol <randhol+abuse@pvv.org> wrote in message news:<slrnbl68f3.6v0.randhol+abuse@kiuk0152.chembio.ntnu.no>...
> I asked two people that hasn't coded what they understood from the program
> below. Here is the answer:
> 
> First test person:
> 
>    >    with Ada.Text_IO; use Ada.Text_IO;
> 
>    Hm, I dont' know this. This Ada.Text_IO must be a specific text or an
>    order. I guess it is Ada programming. So, use this specific
>    text/order and do something with this text/order. Probably there is
>    something that continuous after the final ";"
> 
>    >    procedure Hello is
>    >    begin
>    >       Put_Line ("Hello World!");
>    >    end Hello;
> 
>    There is probably a starting procedure that is called "Hello". This
>    procedure starts with the phrase "Hello World!. So, when Hello
>    procedure starts one has "Hello World!" at the screen.  Then the
>    Hello procedure ends.
> 
> 
>    > Does this code look more easy or more hard to understand than the
>    > C++ code below.
>    >
>    > #include <iostream>
>    >
>    > int main()
>    > {
>    >     std::cout << "Hello, world!\n";
>    > }
> 
>    Ei! This is chineese.
>    (or "greek" for non-Greeks)
> 
> Second test person:
> 
>    [About Ada program]: I think it prints Hello World to the screen as
>    it says Put_Line.
>    [About C++ program]: This is definiately harder to understand. I mean
>    what does std:cout mean?
> 
> 
> Quite what I had anticipated. :-)
> 
> Preben

First, Ada is cool.  Second, you now have to convince several million
C++ programmers, professors, students and managers that C++ really
does look like gibberish, is hard to maintain and filled with goofy
rules that are more annoying than productive.  Too bad the US market
is driven by advertisements and not effectiveness!