Unisys - another Ada/STARS hypocrite

Unisys - another Ada/STARS hypocrite

[Gregory Aharonian]

Recently the following patent was issued to Unisys, a nice example that Unisys
is as hypocritical with regards to its Ada support as all of the STARS porkers
who told one story to the DoD (Ada) and another story (non-Ada) to everyone
else.  The patent is number 5,495,613, issued last month and applied for in
1994, with the following title and first claim:

	5,495,613
	Method and apparatus for extending the capability of a system
            editor using high level language transforms
        Unisys Corporation, Blue Bell

        1. A computer implemented method for extending editing capability
        of a system editor executing on a digital computer, the system editor
        having a core set of commands, the method comprising the steps of:
	    creating, in a high level programming language, a
              library separate from the system editor and core
              set of commands, the library containing at least
              one new editing command; and
            linking the system editor to the library to extend
              the editing capability of the system editor,
            wherein the high level programming language is one
              of Algol, C, Cobol, Fortran and Pascal.

Huh?  Where the hell is Ada?  System editors are the type of crap being funded
as part of STARS, and it would make absolutely no difference to the poorly
structured last clause of this patent claim (a good patent claim construction
would put such lists in a dependent clause) to include Ada in this list,
assuming Unisys really believed any of the pablum it slung the DoD about Ada
in its STARS activities.  Yet Unisys doesn't mention Ada.  More than likely
the inventor for this patent is in a separate group inside Ada, which like
most other STARS contractors don't seem to talk to their Ada groups.

It is inexcusable for Unisys, having received so much Ada monies as part of
STARS and other DoD contracts, not to do something as free and minimal as
including Ada in this list of languages.

No wonder Ada is a niche language less popular than Forth outside the
we-dont-spend-our-own-money Mandated world.  Will someone inside the DoD
do the honest thing and put an end to all of this tax wasting nonsense?

Greg Aharonian

Re: Unisys - another Ada/STARS hypocrite

[Robert Munck]

On Mon, 1 Apr 1996 05:30:02 GMT, srctran@world.std.com (Gregory
Aharonian) wrote:

>Recently the following patent was issued to Unisys, a nice example that Unisys
>...
>              of Algol, C, Cobol, Fortran and Pascal.
>
>Huh?  Where the hell is Ada?  System editors are the type of crap being funded
>as part of STARS, ...

Very nice, Greg.  A good April Fool's Day parody of your usual
misinformed hysteria about STARS.  A bit overdone toward the
end, though.  I thought you could have at least mentioned Loral
as a hint that you really knew about the sale.

I thought we'd managed to keep the $72 million that we spent 
on the vi-like systems editor secret.  Hope you never find out
that we wrote it in PL/S.

Bob Munck@acm.org