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=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f4fd2,3727232787ce671e X-Google-Attributes: gidf4fd2,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,3727232787ce671e X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-15 13:06:06 PST Path: archiver1.sj.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!skynet.be!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.lisp Subject: Re: Universities in the US Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 15:51:35 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9ds1c8$o32$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9drfcr$du11@news-dxb> <9drk4t$hjk$1@news3.cadvision.com> <9drq8e$4ci$1@trog.dera.gov.uk> <9drsqc$mkm$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b0178bd$1_2@newsfeeds> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 989956296 24674 136.170.200.133 (15 May 2001 19:51:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 15 May 2001 19:51:36 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.sj.google.com comp.lang.ada:7538 comp.lang.lisp:10114 Date: 2001-05-15T19:51:36+00:00 List-Id: That should be pretty easy to understand. The syntax & semantics of Ada83 were not as ill-conceived with respect to clarity (well defined behavior) and expandability, so Ada95 didn't really require major gyrations to produce. Everything was more a matter of a variation on a theme rather than a bag hung on the side into which you throw new parts. The syntax & semantics of C were maybe O.K. for the limited use originally expected, but in terms of clearly defined semantics and readily expanded semantics, C just didn't cut it. So when you try to expand it to C++, you've got incredibly complex rules of behavior with numerous special cases, exceptions and "implementation defined's". Just because of the screwy semantics of function operators and everything in C wanting to be a function, you get some of the most convoluted and strange rules of behavior for passing parameters within C++. When thinking about C++, I am reminded of the Harley Davidson Design Principle: "If it breaks, make it bigger. If it sticks out, chrome it." :-) (Now I'm in trouble with the HOG's as well at the C++-ites! :-) Ada was designed to be large (Full Figured?) C++ organically grew to be large. Hence its easy to see why C++ implementations are far harder to do. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "James Hague" wrote in message news:3b0178bd$1_2@newsfeeds... > Way back when, Ada had a bad reputation for being a bloated language and > requiring bloated and unreliable compilers. What's amusing now is that Ada > is a simpler language than what has become the norm (i.e. C++)! And writing > a C++ compiler is more daunting thant writing an Ada compiler.