Re: Ada Pricing & Quality ?? - Vendors

[pacbell.com!att-out!cbnewsl!willett@decwrl.dec.com (david.c.willett)]

>From article <CDEvIJ.4ML@inmet.camb.inmet.com>, by ryer@dsd.camb.inmet.com (Mi
ke Ryer):
> Since the base note was fully compliant with my spec, I guess I have
> to respond, so here goes:
> 
> 1. Price
> 
> Ada prices are declining across the board.  However, you can't compare Unix
> workstation prices with PC prices.  PC Ada compilers are priced much less
> than your $30k, and (I hear) are quite competitively priced to C compilers.
> 
> What do you expect to pay for a non-free C or C++ compiler on a workstation?
> I'd really like the input.
> 
> Also, cross-compilers generally cost more than native compilers because the 
> development cost has to be amortized over a smaller market.
> 
> 2. Useful libraries
> 
> We are planning interfaces to standard support libraries in our next-generati
on
> products.
> 
> 3. Documentation of limitations; verification of examples
> 
> Yes, quality is important, including document quality.  What else can
> I say.
> 
> 4. Are we willing to invest to make Ada succeed?  
> 
> YES.  WATCH THIS SPACE.
> 
> -- Mike Ryer

You were doing just fine until #4, Mike.  I'm a software developer, not an
Ada vendor.  That makes me the Ada vendor's customer.  Why should I be willing 
to invest my Company's money to "make Ada succeed"?  Making Ada succeed is 
the vendor's job.  My job is to deliver quality software products to meet 
the needs of *my* customers.

As long as vendors have the idea that compiler customers should be "willing
to invest" to "make Ada succeed", it won't.  Ada will succeed if and only if
Ada vendors become convinced that they must offer products which are a
clearly superior way for their customers (programmers) to serve their 
customers (users).  Being clearly superior includes being cost effective.


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Dave Willett          AT&T Federal Systems Advanced Technologies

Remember Dave, you don't pay an anesthesiologist all that money to put you
to sleep, you pay him to wake you up afterwards!

	-- from a discussion on the value of medical specialists