Data shows Top 50 Software Vendors not using Ada

[world!srctran@decwrl.dec.com (Gregory Aharonian)]

     The Mandated world has for some time ignored all data about the
dismal state of Ada use outside the Mandated world, which is a shame,
considering the large amount of data available, data useful for redirecting
DoD policies to make Ada successful.

     Case in point.  The May 31, 1993 issue of Information Week has an annual
review article on the Top 50 Independent Software Vendors.  Their collective
revenues are over $16 billion a year, they employ about 100,000 people, and
they dominate are setting standards for almost every field of computing for
the future: operating systems, applications, CAD/CAM, CASE, MIS, EIS, 
networking, communications, database management, graphics, publishing, etc.
AND NONE OF THEM USE ADA AND NONE OF THEM ARE INVOLVED WITH DOD SOFTWARE
POLICY ACTIVITIES.  Once again, when it comes to spending their OWN money,
no one is spending it on Ada.

     For how long can the DoD isolate itself from the mainstream of American
commercial software development?  Is this anyway to guarantee national
security, by ignoring the very people and industries you are defending?
I think not.  Drop the Ada Mandate and let the defense community more
cost-effectively fulfill its requirements by being able to tap into this
large, profitable, American-as-apple-pie, commercial software industry,
an industry that is doing without tax dollars what the DoD Ada contractors
are barely managing to do with tax dollars.

    Here's a list of the companies in the Top 50:

	Microsoft, Computer Associates, Oracle, Novell, Lotus, WordPerfect,
Dun & Bradstreet, SAP AG, Software AG, Borland, Ask Group, Legent, Cadence,
SAS Institute, Autodesk, Mentor Graphics, American Management Systems,
Informix, Adobe, Sybase, BMC Software, System Software, Information Builders,
Compuware, Symantec, Candle, Aldus, Santa Cruz Operation, J.D.Edwards,
Structural Dynamics, Cincom Systems, Software Publishing, Systems Center
Claris, Knowledgeware, Attachmate, Micro Focus, Interleaf, Software Toolworks,
Banyan Systems, Comshare, Cognos, Boole and Babbage, Softlab AG, American
Software, Parametric Technology, Cerner, Agency Management, Intuit and
Medical Information Technology.

No Ada, mostly C/C++, some Cobol and Assembler and Lisp.  But no Ada.
Until the DoD replaces wholescale its current managers and contractors with
people who understand and subscribe to capitalism, Ada will remain as
dead as Latin.


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