Objectives of Ada ... Is there any sanity out there?

Objectives of Ada ... Is there any sanity out there?

[Judy.Bamberger]

This is being posted for a colleague.  While the words are not mine
specifically (I don't have such a wicked sense of humour; some would
say I have no sense of humour at all!), I fully support their intent.

Judy Bamberger

PS - I would suggest that we all return to the original documents of
Ada-dom, *-man (Strawman, Woodenman, Tinman, Ironman, Steelman) and
re-read the Ada Rationale.  This is *not* to say that any of these
documents are or are not stellar documents.  However, these ARE the
documents that DO DEFINE the REQUIREMENTS for Ada.  Mebbe once
history is reviewed, we may be knowledgeable enough to comment.
-------------------------------
In response to the 29 Sep 89 post by Bill Wolfe:

        > As a software engineer, I strongly believe in the Ada dream.
        > But there have been big problems associated with realizing
        > that dream.

How about narcoleptic software engineers waking up from their dreams 
(maybe more nightmares or wet dreams) and facing the reality that Ada 
is not (and was not meant to be) the end-all of programming languages, 
let alone the holy grail of software engineering.

        > . . .  Is the DoD *really* committed to making Ada the
        > primary vehicle of software engineering technology?

Ada is only a programming language, and programming is an extemely
small part of software engineering.

        > . . .  However, it is extremely frustrating to see people 
        > choosing C++ and Eiffel instead of Ada because of this 
        > ten-year revision cycle 

The "ten-year revision cycle" has nothing to do with the choice.  The
languages are chosen because the support the needs.

Re: Objectives of Ada

[William Thomas Wolfe, 2847]

From Judy.Bamberger@SEI.CMU.EDU:
>         > . . .  Is the DoD *really* committed to making Ada the
>         > primary vehicle of software engineering technology?
> 
> Ada is only a programming language, and programming is an extemely
> small part of software engineering.

    As per Richard Fairley (Software Engineering Concepts, 1985, Ch. 7,
    Page 229), Ada is part of "the technology of software engineering".  

    The question, then, is not whether Ada constitutes a vehicle of
    software engineering technology.  The question is whether Ada is 
    to become an *obsolescent* software engineering technology, just
    as COBOL did before it.


    Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu