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=1.1 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_DATE autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!ucbvax!ucb-vax.arpa!trwrb!trwspp!spp1!alden From: alden@spp1.UUCP Newsgroups: net.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada Professional Questions Message-ID: <8509111730.AA15294@spp1.UUCP> Date: Wed, 11-Sep-85 13:30:00 EDT Article-I.D.: spp1.8509111730.AA15294 Posted: Wed Sep 11 13:30:00 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 11:53:31 EDT References: <12142346548.25.EBERARD@USC-ECLB.ARPA> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.ARPA Organization: The ARPA Internet List-Id: Ed, This is a very snobbish set of questions. First of all I want to state up front that I am an advocate of Ada and support its use as a language for development of many applications. I call your set of questions snobbish because you are implying that Ada is some how above other programming languages. Ada is just a programming language, like any other programming language. It takes an input file of programmmed code in non machine language and generates an output file which the operating system can load into the machines memory for execution. Amazing ... even fortran ... or god forbid assembly language does this. Your questions about professionalism specific for Ada suggest that there be some separate criteria to chose Ada programmers. What suggests that Ada is special. Currently the only thing that sets Ada out is the fact that its a new language and not many people have used it yet. I have worked with many people who have learned to effectively use Ada on the job in a few months. Granted their code is not the most sophisticated code, but then again most applications don't need to use tricky aspects of the language to get hte job done ... because the job could have been done in fortran and since Ada can do what fortran does (at least!) and fortran does not have the power of Ada then presumably you can expect simple aspects of Ada to be effective. I do suggest that we use Ada to code like fortran... everyone is trying to avoid this. The major point is that if someone codes a program in Ada and the program is sound (i.e. works well), and organized accourding to the packaging constructs supplied by Ada then no one should have any complaints. What and how programmers organize their programmers should be controlled by the project manager of the project in question. It is the job of the project manager to set such coding standards .. this is true for projects coded in any language even fortran and assembly. In addition, your suggestions for guidelines suggest that you are not interested in bringing Ada into wide use by as many programmers as possible. For Ada to become a real standard, and for its use to be enforced by DoD contracts, the majority of the contractor community must be using it. Restrictions at this point would only undermine this effort to get programmers up in Ada. In summary, your questions suggest that the average programmer is incapable of learning Ada but somehow capable of learning say Pascal. You really show examine the motivations of you questions before you put them out for public response. ... Tony Alden TRW