Re: Why ADA?

[ads.com!saturn!bhanafee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Brian Hanafee)]

In article <1992Mar25.163726.10669@mahendo.jpl.nasa.gov> felipe@larissa.jpl.nas
a.gov (Felipe Hervias) writes:
>In article <1992Mar24.161425.125@v7.vitro.com>, carmencs@vitro.com (Carmen Cas
tells-Schofield) writes:
> > In article <13235@suns3.crosfield.co.uk>, pdg@crosfield.co.uk (paul goffin)
 writes:
> > > Yes, one can write good 'C', but under pressure to get it done fast,
> > > most people don't.
> > 
> > [stuff deleted] Just to extend this a little, I would say that Ada 
> > forces you to use these concepts; C just lets you.
> > [example deleted]
>
>By learning Ada in school doesn't prepare someone for the 'real world.'
>You don't need and shouldn't have to use Ada to learn good software 
>development. If you have a good software engineering background the
>so call benefits of Ada doesn't show.

The benefits of Ada show every time Ada forces the developer to do a
complete design before coding.  One big problem in industry is that
developers of code tend not to be the maintainers, both because of job
descriptions and job turnover.  Thus, a developer is most often able
to get away with quicker, dirtier solutions which are to the detriment
of the long-term cost of the program.  Schools simply are not set up
to demonstrate to students the benefits of long term maintainability--
maintainability that must span *many* years of development.  The "good
software engineering background" is only so many words if the software
engineer has never seen evidence of the benefits of complete design,
and he won't until he gets to his first big program.

>
>I have used Ada and C is the past and I can see why Ada will never be as
>popular as C or ever come close. The increasing popularity of C++ will
>only make C/C++ even more popular.

Need I point out the circularity in this argument?

--
Brian Hanafee                         Advanced Decision Systems
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