Re: Experiment Proposal re Languages

[michiel.perdeck@tip.nl (Michiel Perdeck)]

Alan,

That is an interesting proposal. I support the point but I don't think
that a small program can demonstrate the advantages Ada has over C and
C++. It is more in the organizational and structural aspects, in it's
support for sound software engineering that Ada is better that other
languages. Not for creating small applications fast. The real benefits
will pay off only in the long run because maintenance is cheaper.
In the short run, you can only convince people by showing them that a
sound structure is also more beautiful. But not everyone is able to
see that, alas.

I would be interested in commercial examples of large projects using
Ada that succeeded. Anyone haveing such examples, please write to me.

Regards, Michiel.
michiel.perdeck@cmg.nl


Alan Brain <aebrain@dynamite.com.au> wrote:

>Re Language Wars.

>It's my contention that not all languages are created equal. That some
>have definite advantages over others, all other things being equal. For
>example, and to be non-contraversial, programming in binary is likely to
>be less productive than in C, in general. And a language specifically
>tailored to a problem domain is likely to be better than any
>general-purpose language.

>So I'd like to try an experiment.

>Basically, a central authority would make up a task with a reasonable
>number of FPs of complexity, and write the Requirements. The task can't
>be too big, as the programming would have to be done gratis - would 40
>hours work be enough (implementation, that is)?

>Then, via Internet, solicit a large number of suckers - um -
>professional software engineers, to write a program suite which
>accomplished the task. As my wife's into model railways, something
>simple could be done here as regards a genuine honest-to-Ghod target
>test suite.

>My questions are:
>What would be useful metrics? ( SLOCs, Person-Hours, etc)
>What would be a reasonable upper bound to the size of the task?
>Remember, this will have to be done gratis, I can't pay a cent.
>What other variables should I measure? Experience, Environment, tools,
>compilers?
>How many victims would be required to be statistically valid, and/or
>plausible?
>I'd appreciate some feedback on others about this. Would it be
>worthwhile? What analysis would be useful?

>As I'm an Ada afficionado, I'd really like someone of the C pursuasion
>to join me in designing the requirements, to eliminate unconscious bias.
>Maybe even a braod spectrum of people.

>I figure that I might just get a reasonable response if I could
>challenge those who were barrackers for C, C++, Ada-83, Ada-95, Eiffel,
>PL-I or whatever to PROVE their contentions in an experiment.

>Comments, please? 

>I've put this only on comp.lang.ada. Apart from comp.lang.c,
>compl.lang.eiffel, what other newsgroups should this be run on? 

>----------------------      <> <>    How doth the little Crocodile
>| Alan & Carmel Brain|      xxxxx       Improve his shining tail?
>| Canberra Australia |  xxxxxHxHxxxxxx _MMMMMMMMM_MMMMMMMMM
>---------------------- o OO*O^^^^O*OO o oo     oo oo     oo  
>                    By pulling Maerklin Wagons, in 1/220 Scale