Mixed Ada PR results at upcoming Embedded Systems Conferene

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

   On October 5-8, 1993, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, there will
be held the Fifth Annual Embedded Systems Conference.  It is a popular
conference for the embedded world.

  And while there is some Ada representation there, once again it is not
very impressive or very consistent.

  There will be about 80 papers or lectures given: 20 will be included
much on C/C++ (those readily identifiable from the brochure, probably
more use C/C++), while 3 are on Ada, and 1 on comparing Ada and C++.
Given all of the money put into Ada embedded stuff (and CECOM once had
a nice set of reports on Ada and real time that has never been well
distributed), this is not an impressive showing.

   At the trade show, things are not much better.  There are about 90
booths at the show.  Of these, we have the following Ada connections,
good and bad:

good
	ALSYS - will be displaying Ada stuff as do their ads    +1
	AdaIC - will be displaying general Ada stuff            +1
        Tartan -  also consistent pushers of Ada                +1
        Huntsville Microsystems - have a product that supports
                 Ada, doesn't sell much and probably won't be
	         pushed, but at least it is something.          +.25

bad
        DDC-I - leading real time Ada company selling C++ operating
                system library?                                 -1
	Intermetrics Microsystems - will be selling C development
	        tools which they also advertise                 -1
	IBM - whatever they will have, it won't be Ada, because
              unlike what they tell the DoD, they tell everyone
	      else that C++ and Smalltalk are the way to go     -1
        Ready Systems - people somewhat identify these people
	      with Ada real time stuff, from their earlier work,
	      but people also know Ready got out of Ada because
	      there was no profit in it                         -.25

   The net effect?  This conference will do little to benefit Ada's
image.  People will see some of the Ada players pushing Ada, and see
other Ada players not pushing Ada, and therefore have one more reason
(after high product prices) to avoid considering Ada.  This is a public
relations mess for Ada.

    For those going to Tri-Ada, I bet a beer that there will be more
real time and embedded product booths at Tri-Ada than at the Embedded
Systems Conference.  One more way to differentiate between troughers
and market exploiters.
-- 
**************************************************************************
 Greg Aharonian                                      srctran@world.std.com
 Source Translation & Optimization                            617-489-3727
 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178