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: 103376,bc1361a952ec75ca X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-08-27 11:56:11 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!psinet-eu-nl!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: simple CPUs, was Re: How Ada could have prevented the Red Code distributed denial of service attack. Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 14:49:16 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9me4ne$3er$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9lr3tt$4gr$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9mdjbu$qri$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B8A5CBE.CA62B5CD@lmtas.lmco.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 998938158 3547 136.170.200.133 (27 Aug 2001 18:49:18 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 27 Aug 2001 18:49:18 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.google.com comp.lang.ada:12480 Date: 2001-08-27T18:49:18+00:00 List-Id: Been There. Done That. Got The T-Shirt. :-) The problem is that in many computer applications (in particular, Aerospace & Defense) you're building systems that might have 20-30 or more years of life span. (How long have they been flying B-52's?) However, the computer industry is totally revolutionizing itself every year to 18 months. The hottest product available today is going to be ancient history by the time you get the first production model rolling off the assembly floor. What are you going to do? Ada's portability is a big help in that so long as there is a current processor being supported by an Ada compiler, you stand a chance of porting with minimal fuss. However, the big cost isn't in the coding or even the design. Its the testing and certification. A whole new Gazorenthorpe on an airplane or rocket is going to cost you a bundle to re-flight-certify. The best you can hope for is to be certain that this is going to happen somewhere in the life of the system and allow for it in the plan. Now the extra bad news: The poor SOB's who have to work on these projects become intimate experts in some ancient and arcane computer system and when the project finally goes casters-up, they are viewed as relics that are unemployable. Maybe jobs like that should come with Golden Parachutes in order to attract and keep good people working on them? 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/ "Gary Scott" wrote in message news:3B8A5CBE.CA62B5CD@lmtas.lmco.com... > > We very frequently have to buy out the remaining stock of parts to > insure sufficient supply to meet known needs. We recently tried to buy > some parts in the 20 piece range and were required to place a minimum > 200 piece order (not in itself a bad thing to have plenty of spares, but > a little excessive in this case). They wouldn't produce them for a > lesser quantity order. When you create products with 30 year life > spans, it's a considerable problem. But we now use whiz bang design > software to develop rapid prototype parts (e.g. ASICs) and PCBs that > provide form-fit replacements with identical functionality using > currently available parts.