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Date: 1 Apr 93 00:26:27 GMT
From: usenet.ins.cwru.edu!cert.org!news.sei.cmu.edu!na@gatech.edu  (Neal Altman
)
Organization: The Software Engineering Institute
Subject: Ada Candidates for the SPEC Benchmark Suite
Message-Id: <1993Mar31.192627.20600@sei.cmu.edu>
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Ada Benchmarks for SPEC
-----------------------

Under the sponsorship of the Ada Joint Program office, the Real-Time
Embedded Systems Testbed (REST) Project at the Software Engineering
Institute is soliciting candidate Ada programs for inclusion as part of
the SPEC benchmark suites.

The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) is a non-profit
corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set
of relevant benchmarks for high-performance computers. Currently SPEC
benchmark suites include:

      o	CINT92 -- 6 integer intensive execution benchmarks
      o	CFP92 -- 14 floating point intensive execution benchmarks
      o	SDM -- 2 benchmarks of system support for software development

SPEC benchmarks are currently written in FORTRAN and C. The benchmark
suites also include a harness and utilities for running the benchmarks,
measuring times, and computing results.

Ideal Ada candidates for the CINT/CFP benchmark suites should:

      o	Be real applications of substantial size
      o	Be portable across many systems and Ada compilers
      o	Put stress on high-performance systems
      o	Execute for at least 3000 seconds on a VAX11/780
      o	Allow memory usage and instruction mix to be measured
      o	Be capable of performing self checking of results

Ideal Ada candidates for the SDM series of benchmarks should:

      o	Represent Ada software development scenarios
      o	Be portable across many systems and Ada compilers
      o	Stress system software, particularly the compiler and library
      o	Allow multiple copies to execute at the same time 
      o	Not require human input

After testing, selected Ada benchmarks will be submitted to SPEC for
review and possible inclusion in the next release of the SPEC benchmark
suites.

To submit benchmarks or for more information, contact:

	Neal Altman
	Software Engineering Institute
	Carnegie Mellon University
	Pittsburgh, PA 15213
	USA

	Telephone: (412) 268-7613
	FAX: (412) 268-5758
	Internet: na@sei.cmu.edu

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Date: 31 Mar 93 21:30:29 GMT
From: asuvax!ennews!dbrancat@gatech.edu  (Donald Brancato)
Organization: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
Subject: Re: Lack of Ada programmers?
Message-Id: <1993Mar31.213029.1085@ennews.eas.asu.edu>
References: <19930331.054448.56@almaden.ibm.com>
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  In regard to the question raised about the lack of Ada programmers,
I would like to submit my humble opinion.
  I am a senior undergraduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University in Prescott, Arizona majoring in Aviation Computer Science.
Since the fall of 1989 our computer science curriculum has been centered
around Ada.  Everything from general programming concepts, graphics, data
structures, files and database systems, and software engineering has been
taught using Ada as the base language.  And, since the interest of most
students lies in the aeronautical industry, I think the language was well
chosen.  I recently returned from a 6 month Co-op with NASA -Goddard Space
Flight Center working in the Software Engineering Laboratory.  My studies
were well received, as I was working on telemetry simulators in Ada.
  I guess the thrust of my point is that the belief that there are not
enough Ada programmers has not been researched enough to be valid.  
A recent article in Communication of the ACM discussed a study done on
universities currently teaching Ada as the primary language listed over
50 universities in the U.S. alone.
   Whether you select Ada as your language of choice is not the concern
here.  It doesn't take a genius to extrapolate the concepts of one language
to any other language.  In fact, after studying Ada for a couple years I
went on to learn C, C++, and Pascal.
  Anyway, for those individuals who use this excuse to crucify Ada, I will
include my address and telephone to entertain any job opportunities.  Now
don't think that I'll be waiting by the phone drooling, I merely wanted
to make my point and provide a possible solution to the lack of Ada
programmers.

					- Michael J. Clark
					  clarkm@slab.pr.erau.edu

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Date: 30 Mar 93 21:28:21 GMT
From: emery@mitre-bedford.arpa  (David Emery)
Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA.
Subject: Re: Ada cost breakpoints
Message-Id: <EMERY.93Mar30162821@goldfinger.mitre.org>
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Open, Read, Write, pipes, Fork and Exec are included in POSIX
standards.  Sockets, for instance, are not currently in any approved
POSIX standards.  Therefore, code written using sockets is *NOT*
guaranteed portable in a POSIX environment (e.g.  Open VMS, CTOS or
POSIX-compliant MVS, for instance).  Sockets are a BSD extension
(which is now included in System V).  Sockets packages exist for other
operating systems, but they're not "open" in the sense of formally
standardized.  Your semantics may vary...

>It occurs to me that it might be sensible for programs to require
>that all OS interfaces which are not pre-defined in the language (e.g.,
>Text_IO, task stuff) be defined in Posix syntax.

Could you please explain this?  What is "Posix syntax"?  I'm not
familiar with that term...

			dave
			(IEEE P1003.5 POSIX/Ada Binding Technical Editor)

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Date: 30 Mar 93 21:04:52 GMT
From: sampson@cod.nosc.mil  (Charles H. Sampson)
Organization: Computer Sciences Corporation
Subject: Ada and the AAS (FAA) Problems
Message-Id: <1993Mar30.210452.6666@nosc.mil>
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     The following is an excerpt from an article in the March 22 issue of
Defense Electronics:

          [Donald] Mullikin [of IBM] said delays in establishment of the
     National Airspace System, which has been criticized by the General Ac-
     counting Office and the media, can not be blamed on Ada.

          "Ada has been superior for development and we are currently per-
     fecting the system support, but the basic system is up.  The delays
     aren't accountable to Ada, but are a result of the gravity of this
     task," Mullikin said.  "Air traffic control requires 100% vigilance on
     a system that will not crash.  For that reason, we will not be opera-
     tion until April 1994."

                                   Charlie

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Date: 29 Mar 93 14:28:46 GMT
From: world!srctran@uunet.uu.net  (Gregory Aharonian)
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Subject: Ada9X boycott of OBJECT EXPO (NY, Apr): Why?
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   I recently received a brochure in the mail from the sponsors of Object
Expo national conference and exposition to be held at the New York Hilton
on April 19 to April 23. (For more information, contact Object Expo, 588
Broadway, Suite 604, New York, NY, 10012, 212-274-9135. Three day fee $1000).

    Once again, there is virtually no Ada9X representation at the talks or
the trade show.  Here are people currently making Object Oriented decisions
for the companies, prime candidates for a pitch on Ada9X, and there is no
one their to sell them on Ada9X.  Continual refusal to participate in these
forums by the Ada9X people only reinforces the public image that Ada is
nothing more than a niche language for the DoD of little use in the real world.

   What follows is the titles to the classes, tutorials and talks to be given,
with a language relevance pointed out where possible from the abstract.

Object-Oriented Modeling and Design
An Introduction to C++                                               C++
Synthesis: Analysis and design for Object Oriented systems
Software Development Using Smalltalk: A case study                   Smalltalk
Choosing the right Object Oriented method
OOP 101                                                              C++
Program Development using C++                                        C++
Implementing Object Technology in Corporations
OO Design Idioms and Architectures
Evaluating OO Methods and CASE
Mastering Object Engineering
Encapsulating the Number System efficiently                          C++
Getting the most out of Object technology
Developing and Implementing Enterprise Applications
OOA in the real world
Architectural issues for high performance OO
C++ Virtual functions and virtual base classes                       C++
Transition management strategies
Ada9X: Objectifying the Ada Language (Ed Schonberg)                  Ada
Workflow analysis using graphics object modeling
OO Software Engineering
Thinking in Smalltalk                                                Smalltalk
Truly reusable class libraries in large programs                     C++
Experience with OO Structured Design
ODBMS - the essentials                                               C/C++
New techniques in OO representation
Writing high performance Smalltalk programs                          Smalltalk
C++ Gotchas                                                          C++
Finding business objects using CRC cards
Objects and relational databases
Implementing distributed applications
User interface version control in large object systems               Smalltalk
Localized cost and static initialization                             C++
Creating software assets in the lifecycle
Object databases
OOPS - it should have worked
Data abstraction in C++                                              C++
The Object game
Benefitting from OO and CASE
Implementing OO and recursive design
Redefining open systems
C++ library development                                              C++
Going beyond OO GUIs
Benefitting from OO Enterprise modeling
Workshop with the BOOCH method
Managing Object Technology
Development and Testing for C++                                      C++
OO systems in non-OO environments
OO opportunities in the executive suite
Evolutionary perspective on Object Technology
OO Design                                                            Smalltalk
                                                                     C++, Ada
Mastering Object DBMSes
Comparing OOP languages - C++, Smalltalk, Eiffel                     Smalltalk
                                                                    C++, Eiffel
Advanced C++                                                         C++


    Once again, very minimal Ada presence, and only because the conference
is in New York, making it easy for Ed to attend.  Other than that, no Ada
presence.  In the abstract to Ed's talk it says:  "This lecture will
demonstrate how Ada continues to be ideally suited to support modern software
engineering practice, especially for constructing large, reliable systems".
As true as this maybe, no one is going to believe this delusion,
since all they have to do is walk into the trade show and see absolutely
no Ada presence.  Such statements, when contrasted to a great unwillingness
of Ada proponents not to show up at public forums to make the case for Ada
and show off great Ada tools, are easily dismissed by those in the corporate
world making OO decisions and spending their own money.  "Why spend our
money on a technology I never see ads for".

    Other than Rational (and probably demonstrating their C++ stuff) none
of the other Ada compiler vendors (Alsys, Verdix, Meridian, Intermetrics,
Telesoft, or DDC) are listed as the trade show exhibitors.  None of the
DoD program offices greatly dependent on the success of Ada (AJPO, STARS,
ASSET, DSRO, Ada9X) are listed as trade show exhibitors to demonstrate to
the world all of the DoD successes that Ed's abstract refers to.  None of
the contractors quickly taking Ada money (SAIC, IBM, Boeing, Paramax, etc)
are there to proclaim to the public what they tell the DoD.

    In short, for all of the cheerleading I see on comp.lang.ada and at
the Tri-Adas, I see no interest or willingness by these people to go out
and sell Ada outside of the Mandated world.  Given the importance of Ada
to national security, I consider this nothing to be more than hypocrisy and
suggest that the DoD start giving its Ada money to people willing to do so.


Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimization
-- 
**************************************************************************
Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimiztion
P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178