Help chip-in to fund Navy NSWC Ada math library

[world!srctran@uunet.uu.net (Gregory Aharonian)]

    Here's a good example of the schizophrenic behavior of the DoD when
it comes to software reuse and Ada.  For many years the Naval Surface
Warfare Center has distributed a large (100,000+ LOC) Fortran numerical
analysis library to the public.  The library is comparable to those
available commercial, is free and comes with documentation.  In fact,
they just announced that the 1993 version is available.  If you want a
copy, give your name and address to:

		R.D. Johnson, Code D4T
		Naval Surface Warfare Center
		Dahlgren Division
		White Oak Detachment
		10901 New Hampshire Avenue
		Silver Spring, MD  20903-5000
		301-394-1505

    Now here's the tragedy of this nice package.  The main developer, one
Al Morris of the NSWC, is retiring, and this package will no longer be
supported.  When I asked about an Ada version, one of the technical guys
just laughed hysterically and said no one was interested in supporting
this package, in any language, any more.

    This from the DoD which is supposed to be promoting software reuse, is 
supposed to be promoting Ada usage through needed libraries, is supposed to
be insuring that this current downsizing doesn't lead to the institutional
memory loss of knowledge on hundreds of similar reusable software systems
floating throughout the DoD.

    So in an effort to be positive, as my "fans" on c.l.a. suggest, I am
starting a fund to raise money to help the NSWC continue to support this
package and convert it to Ada.  My target is $50,000, which should enable
them, along with some of their own funds, to do something that would
really help Ada and software reuse.

    Your donations are tax deductible, and you will get a copy of the first
edition of the library and documentation on a CD-ROM.  So let's see if we
can take some of these desparately needed Ada policies into our own hands,
and pull Ada out of the comatose state it is in.

    Contact me if you are interested in helping with the fund raising.

Greg Aharonian
Source Translation & Optimization

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 Greg Aharonian
 Source Translation & Optimization
 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178