From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.0 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_40 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 24 Sep 93 17:32:21 GMT From: world!srctran@uunet.uu.net (Gregory Aharonian) Subject: DoD dumps mainframe for PC network using C software Message-ID: List-Id: [From the Sept 13 issue of Government Computer News, page 77, excerpts] [Another account of Pentagon units violating federal Mandate law] Client-server computing has matured enough for Defense Department officials to begin using it in two systems that manage standardized documents at sites across the United States and in 34 other nations. Thomas Ballantine, automation program manager in the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Production and Logistics, said the two systems are part of a four system configuration for disseminating draft specifications for review, receiving the comments and coordinating about 50,000 specification documents. The two systems support DoD standards under CALS, including SGML, CGM and IGES. One systems was built from scratch, the other migrated from a mainframe system put into service in the 1970s. The Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Electronic Transfer System (ASSETS) is a multi-user, dial-up, on-line, integrated system for authoring and editing. The other client-server system, the Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information SysTem (ASSIST) was ported from a mainframe. ASSETS runs on a 66-MHz 486 with 31 "slave" boards, using Novell software, Santa Cruz Open Desktop, and Alloy's LinkPC communications software. ASSIST runs on two 33-MHz 486 servers running SCO Unix, using Oracle's SQL packages, Oracle Pro/C programming language, and PL/SQL. [..... other details about the systems and their successful development] ============================================================================== Here we see why Ada is in so much trouble, when an office deep in the Pentagon can develop two large, heavily used systems using C-based COTS software and C-based application development. This system could have been done in Ada, had they cared and respected the Ada Mandate. Instead, it was done in C, and publicized in Government Computer News, where non-Mandated people will read it and have their suspicions (right or wrong) reaffirmed, that the DoD just does not care about Ada except for large, embedded projects. Where the Mandate says "all DoD software", Congress meant ALL. -- ************************************************************************** Greg Aharonian srctran@world.std.com Source Translation & Optimization 617-489-3727 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178