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=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_DATE autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,26c98aaeafe861d2,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1993-03-30 20:49:01 PST Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Path: sparky!uunet!world!srctran From: srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian) Subject: Is General Kind the harbinger of doom for the Mandate? Message-ID: Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1993 04:40:25 GMT Date: 1993-03-31T04:40:25+00:00 List-Id: It would help those of us who can't afford to goto Ada conferences if those who did go could report on them here on comp.lang.ada. Especially when juicy tidbits of Pentagon policy are floated at the conference. Case in point is a recent sign of the Pentagon laying the grounds for the repeal of the Ada Mandate. As some of you will recall, DARPA started this last fall by publicly commenting that it didn't matter one way or another which language was used for its programs. More recent are the comments of Lt. Gen Peter Kind, director of information systems for command, control, communications and computers, who said at the 11th Ada technical conference a few weeks ago (as reported in the March 29, 1993 issue of Government Computer News): "We need to stop the language free-for-all and make an unbiased analysis of DoD needs. Put the Ada controversy to bed and clearly articulate" ... what the demand for Ada products is. Object orientation is needed, he said, and the Defense Department should give C++, Modula and CASE tools "their full day in court" in assessing where Ada stands. But he said he doesn't believe that "if you use CASE tools, you don't need Ada". "We're not going to make a huge change overnight, as I see it". "We're hearing calls to abandon Ada from DoD officials", he said. "I'm asking contractors to assess it, and they say it does what's needed, but they can't get enough programmers". ============================================================================== Imagine that, DoD officials calling to abandon Ada. Give C++ and Modula a chance to prove their case. Not enough Ada programmers being supplied by the free markets. Ask for an UNBIASED analysis (Sure, go call the Mosemann study contractors). Gee, I say these things and Bob Munck calls me a clown. Would it help if I started wearing a uniform? Or just had a checkbook? Even wrapped with a more upbeat message on Ada (as I heard through the grapevine that he gave), given that watching DoD politics is like watching Kremlin politics, his comments reflect something is going on inside the DoD. I wonder if the Ada people in England can place bets at Lloyds on the future of the Ada Mandate. Someone better tell the general the dangers of an unbiased analysis, when the conclusion of a very biased study, the Mosemann reports - TRW part, concluded that within five years Ada and C++ would be equally economical for the DoD to use for life cycle systems (or didn't anyone actually read the Mosemann reports). Imagine how much less time an unbiased study would analyze. And I still don't see anyone from Ada9X or STARS at public trade shows and conferences pushing Ada83 or Ada9X, supporting the language, or even mentioning the language. Nothing in the press, no donations to the universities to seed the future (go ask Harris about their recent nine million donation of hardware). Nothing, nothing, NoThInH, nOtHiNg, about Ada anywhere outside of the Mandated world where they have to spend their own money. And people call me a clown. Not that I am not, but I sure ain't alone. With overwhelming funding, and overwhelming staff, and overwhelming mandates, you think the leaders of the Ada movement would successfully deploy their forces and win the programming language battle. Maybe we should rename Ada to "McClellan". Greg Aharonian Source Translation & Optimization P.S. And so they will not feel left out, but could someone go to and give CPR to the ASSET staff. Maybe when they revive they can post to c.l.a. a review of what they are doing, the contents of their repository and periodic postings about new components that they receive. While you are there, explain what CDROMs are, why capitalists believe in marketing and why their component schema makes little business sense. -- ************************************************************************** Greg Aharonian Source Translation & Optimiztion P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178