From: Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-deja.com>
Subject: Re: 'constant functions' and access constant params (was Re: Array of Variant Records Question...)
Date: 1999/09/28
Date: 1999-09-28T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <7sqbt6$1la$1@nnrp1.deja.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 7socka$6u4@dfw-ixnews19.ix.netcom.com
In article <7socka$6u4@dfw-ixnews19.ix.netcom.com>,
Richard D Riehle <laoXhai@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> In article <7sc6b6$c6m$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-deja.com> wrote:
>
> >The answer is that without comments, the caller has not the
> >foggiest idea. Specifications in Ada give only the bearest
> >structural details on how to call a subprogram, they do not
> >give any hint as to what the subprogram is supposed to do!
>
> Exactly, Robert. In the absence of assertions that can be
> checked by the compiler, comments are the only recourse. And
> you and I both agree about the problems of compiler-checked
> assertions. An assertion can be more wrong than the program
itself.
Assertions written at the level of the language itself only
fix a very small part of this problem. And if you talk
about compiler-checked assertions, then you are reducing the
level of the assertions to a trivial level that definitely
does not begin to approach full specification (remember we
are FAR from being able to mechanically check that a full
formal specification matches an implementation in a language
at the semantic level of Ada, such checks require a large amount
of human intervention at the implementation level, e.g. adding
proof assertions).
Furthermore, full formal specifications are often neither
desirable (too opaque) nor practical (problem too complex),
nor conceptually possible (try to formalize the idea of
"nice error messages").
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-09-28 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 69+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1999-09-08 0:00 Array of Variant Records Question Bruce Detter
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Thank you Bruce Detter
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Martin C. Carlisle
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Array of Variant Records Question Martin C. Carlisle
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Ted Dennison
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Mike Silva
1999-09-08 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-11 0:00 ` Jean-Pierre Rosen
1999-09-14 0:00 ` "cast away const" (was Re: Array of Variant Records Question...) Mark Lundquist
[not found] ` <wccd7viiv59.fsf@world.std.com>
[not found] ` <7rrmqd$l89@drn.newsguy.com>
[not found] ` <wcciu59n2uf.fsf@world.std.com>
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Array of Variant Records Question Robert I. Eachus
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-11 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Hyman Rosen
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
[not found] ` <7roohh$s6r@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>
[not found] ` <37e01168@news1.prserv.net>
[not found] ` <7rp86o$c6h@dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>
[not found] ` <37E18CC6.C8D431B@rational.com>
[not found] ` <7rs8bn$s6@dfw-ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>
[not found] ` <wccemfxn15s.fsf@world.std.com>
1999-09-22 0:00 ` 'constant functions' and access constant params (was Re: Array of Variant Records Question...) Richard D Riehle
[not found] ` <37e2e58c@news1.prserv.net>
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Mark Lundquist
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Vincent Marciante
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-24 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-09-25 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-27 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-27 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-27 0:00 ` David Kristola
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-27 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-28 0:00 ` "Competence" (was: 'constant functions' and access constant params) Ted Dennison
1999-09-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar [this message]
1999-09-28 0:00 ` 'constant functions' and access constant params (was Re: Array of Variant Records Question...) Richard D Riehle
1999-09-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-29 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Array of Variant Records Question Brian Rogoff
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Proposed Ada features (was Re: Array of Variant Records Question...) Mark Lundquist
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-10 0:00 ` tmoran
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Array of Variant Records Question Nick Roberts
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-09 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
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