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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,21960280f1d61e84 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news2.google.com!news4.google.com!news3.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local01.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.scarlet.biz!news.scarlet.biz.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:56:59 -0600 From: Ludovic Brenta Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: How come Ada isn't more popular? References: <5WDth.1154953$084.602591@attbi_s22> Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:56:59 +0100 Message-ID: <87y7nqi2sk.fsf@ludovic-brenta.org> User-Agent: Gnus/5.110006 (No Gnus v0.6) Emacs/21.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:W0Z/vALwLM//Lq80snmGpel/otQ= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii NNTP-Posting-Host: 62.235.203.8 X-Trace: sv3-UnDz6vOIXuH3xghoJ2Ow2cYbxJaZtyaGrcPHt5/6ULi09aoIdp/Ofh0IhWcpd11CYMgo8ePfbGuez9C!iMeWYVzPI2RXwO0SA2GUKO9N8tiUG1TsQR2+42gHww8K82nz1SbhhsRTnbTPNmcby1ZsZ4pE X-Complaints-To: abuse@scarlet.be X-DMCA-Complaints-To: abuse@scarlet.biz X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.32 Xref: g2news2.google.com comp.lang.ada:8593 Date: 2007-01-26T09:56:59+01:00 List-Id: Markus E Leypold writes: > "Jeffrey R. Carter" writes: > >> Alexander E. Kopilovich wrote: >>> The original statement (from kevin cline) was: >>> >>>>>> What makes a programmer >>>>>> like a new language? Usually, someone comes along and says something >>>>>> like "Remember that program that we spent two weeks writing in C? >>>>>> Here's a Perl implementation that I put together in three hours and >>>>>> one-tenth the code." That's never happened with Ada. >>> The article >>> http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2000/08/mccormick.html >>> presents the case where use of Ada language in very specific circumstances >>> was much more effective than use of C language in the same circumstances. >> >> The circumstances differed in this respect: The C students were given >> 60% of the teacher's solution. Initially, the Ada students were given >> 10% (or maybe less). > > So it was not really a comparable situation. One might argue that > already given partial solutions demotivate and that they have dangers > of its own (often draw people on a wrong path of thinking). I've > actually seen people given a partial solution perfoming worse than > those who had to do without. In the first years of the course, students started with 0% of the code given to them, and the instructor started giving them parts of the solution, gradually increasing to 60% over the years, only because all students failed to complete the assignment. So, your argument about motivation does not hold. > Mind you, I do not suggest that really is the reason for the > differences found (I haven't even read the study yet), but I see a > problem with a study where the 2 groups compared are not really > starting from the same point. The only different factor should be the > programming language, not the rest of the setup. After you read the report, you will find that that was indeed the case. It is premature to comment before you read the report. -- Ludovic Brenta.