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From: srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian)
Subject: Arrest Art DePriest
Message-ID: <CwsHxw.ILn@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 1994 13:10:43 GMT
Date: 1994-09-27T13:10:43+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

    Given that the Ada Mandate is a Federal law that applies to all new DoD
software development, it would seem to me that violations of the Mandate are
misdemeanors or felonies, with various inter-state aspects if the code is
shipped aournd the country.  Thus clear violations of the Mandate should
warrant a criminal investigation.  For example, consider the following letter
in the September 15 issue of Datamation, page 15:

	SEARCHING FOR MINEFIELDS ON THE INTERNET.

	The "Paradigm Shift" column is proving very helpful in my work
	for the Naval Coastal Systems Station in Panama City, Florida.

	One of the projects I'm responsible for is a PC-based tactical
	aid (Tacaid) that helps Mine Countermeasure (MCM) ships
	determine the safest tactics to use when clearing a minefield.
	The Tacaid is called MARTS and it runs under Windows 3.1.  We
	developed it using MS Visual Basic for Windows.  I am very
	satisfied with it and wish to continue its development.  Also,
	it has encouraged the group I work with to consider adding GUIs
	to their applications.  Thus, we need to keep abreast of tools
	for building GUIs and GUI technology/trends in general.  Do
	you guys know of sources for this type of information via the
	Internet?

	Art DePriest
	Naval Coastal Systems Station
	Panama City, Florida


Well, given that MS Visual Basic became available after the full Mandate went
into effect years ago, Mr. DePriest has clearly violated a Federal law, and
a criminal investigation should be launched.

Minus the Ada Mandate, I would applaud Mr. DePriest's initiative.  However as
long as the idiocy of the Ada Mandate holds, his and other actions are breaking
the law and should be dealt with accordingly. I suppose the Inspector General
for the Navy should handle this.

And because of DISA's continual refusal to find out who is using what
programming languages inside the DoD, who knows how many other people like
Mr. DePriest are out there sowing the seeds of non-Ada (or in the case of
ARPA, and the Air Force's KBSA effort, planting entire fields for non-Ada).


Greg Aharonian