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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,690ce1f62160d05a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,690ce1f62160d05a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,690ce1f62160d05a X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 1094ba,690ce1f62160d05a X-Google-Attributes: gid1094ba,public From: Kilgallen@eisner.decus.org.nospam (Larry Kilgallen) Subject: Re: How to Design an Application Programmers' Interface (API) Date: 2000/08/11 Message-ID: <91cZYl3ww8JV@eisner.decus.org>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 657313915 References: <39921178.819F6DCB@netwood.net> <399386EF.4F2AA3E6@netwood.net> <6K+0jFPPKxTo@eisner.decus.org> <39940266.15161093@netwood.net> X-Complaints-To: abuse@verio.net X-Trace: iad-read.news.verio.net 966030128 216.44.122.34 (Fri, 11 Aug 2000 21:42:08 GMT) Organization: LJK Software NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 21:42:08 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.ada Date: 2000-08-11T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article <39940266.15161093@netwood.net>, "E. Robert Tisdale" writes: > Larry Kilgallen wrote: > >> But library developers and application programmers >> can work independently even with a lousy API design, >> so long as they use the Ada language. >> Write the specification for the library first >> (it can even be written by the application programmer) >> and then have each side code using that specification. > > Please explain what you mean by API. > I believe that your specification is a specification of the API > or, at least, the specification of the Ada language binding. > >> > An API is a contract >> > between library developers and application programmers. >> >> And the implementation of that contract >> is the specification of the library package. >> >> If you are going to post these generalities to the Ada newsgroup, >> please be aware of the features of the Ada language. > > Why? > Because Ada deals with them formally and explicitly? > I'm not advocating any one computer programming language > over another. But please feel free to do so if you wish. If you want to discuss specifics, please trim the discussion to comp.lang.ada only. If you want to discuss generalities, please remove comp.lang.ada. Your generalities are totally out of place in comp.lang.ada and only lead to noisy fruitless extended wasted threads if past experience is any guide.