Re: Open Systems closed to Ada?

[agate!stanford.edu!kronos.arc.nasa.gov!butch!iscnvx!news@ucbvax.Berkeley.]

   Fred, I lost count of the number of times you used the word "mandate" in
your last post, but I gather that this is a pet peeve of yours.

   In all seriousness, your implication that no one would use a non-validated
Ada compiler, and therefore such a compiler has no value, seems suspect to me.
If you would briefly grant me the assumption that the mandate was being
successfully enforced, would you agree with the statement that "No one can use
any 'C' compiler, therefore 'C' compilers are useless"?  I doubt it.

   I disagree with the Ada mandate; however, when all is said and done, the DoD
is just one software customer.  I doubt there's a large market for Macintosh
software at IBM.  It hasn't kept Mac programmers from peddling their wares
elsewhere.  If the DoD chooses to freeze THEIR technology for eleven
years at a pop, IT'S THEIR CHOICE (and, IMHO, one whose wisdom has yet to be
established).