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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,bc1361a952ec75ca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-07-30 05:55:19 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeed.gamma.ru!Gamma.RU!aaanet.ru!not-for-mail From: "Gary Lisyansky" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: How to make Ada a dominant language Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 16:52:13 +0400 Organization: AAA Intersvyaz Message-ID: <9k3l9r$10i2$1@pa.aaanet.ru> References: <3B6555ED.9B0B0420@sneakemail.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 213.59.110.211 X-Trace: pa.aaanet.ru 996497531 33346 213.59.110.211 (30 Jul 2001 12:52:11 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.aaanet.ru NNTP-Posting-Date: 30 Jul 2001 12:52:11 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6700 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6700 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:10735 Date: 2001-07-30T12:52:11+00:00 List-Id: "Russ Paielli" <18k11tm001@sneakemail.com> wrote in message news:3B6555ED.9B0B0420@sneakemail.com... > Preben Randhol wrote: > > > Honestly now, which of the following two statements is cleaner and > > > clearer? > > > > > > count: integer := 0; -- old syntax > > > > Reads: Count is integer and set is to 0 > > > > > > > > integer: count = 0 -- new syntax > > > > Reads: Integer count equals 0 > > > > I prefer the old way, as it is easier to read. > > I'll bet nine out of 10 non-Ada-programmers would disagree with you. And > that's part of the reason that nine out of ten programmers (or whatever) > are non-Ada-programmers. Dubious. In reality, only C/C++/Java use this "type first" order in declarations. Pascal uses Ada- like syntax, VB uses even more verbose construct (Dim Count As Integer) and so on. I've never heard anyone complain about "var name first" declaration convention. > > > Why is it so very important to use = to set a value and then == when you > > check it? I have not understood this. > > Because "=" is the simplest fricking symbol that could possibly be used > for assignment. Why is this so hard for Ada programmers to understand? > What's so great about ":="? Why not use "$=" or "%="? It's a change for the sake of change. It doesn't eliminate any serious verbosity. ":=" is simply traditional. > > > I don't at all agree that one should change the syntax. There is no need > > to make the programs less readable. You should read your source code > > more often than you write it. Besides none of these changes will make > > Ada more popular, it will only make it a yet-another-language. Now Ada > > has advantages over other languages and one is that it is highly readable. > > What I am proposing would not make programs "less readable." It would > make them MORE readable, especially for new Ada programmers. If > long-time Ada programmers are unable to see that, I believe Ada will > become an obscure niche language, like HAL or Jovial. That would be a > terrible shame, because Ada has excellent fundamentals and could become > a dominant language. Frankly, I think that lack of popularity of Ada has literally nothing to do with any of the "issues" that you've listed. > > Russ Gary