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Date: 3 Jun 93 18:48:02 GMT
From: eachus@mitre-bedford.arpa  (Robert I. Eachus)
Subject: Re: MIS Applications in Ada?
Message-ID: <EACHUS.93Jun3134802@spectre.mitre.org>
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

In article <1993Jun2.201324.28395@csus.edu> dick@silicon.csci.csusb.edu (Dr. Ri
chard Botting) writes:

   > It is highly probable that a competent DP/MIS shop would
   > reject Ada out of hand as being inappropriate for the job.

   > Ada 83 has a problem with MIS/DP applications that need a MONEY
   > data type.   Little things like exact fixed point decimal
   > arithmetic are needed by accountants and people alike!

   1) several available Ada compilers provide support for decimal
      'SMALLs.  The fact that Ada 83 (the language) gives you a choice
      puts it in the same category as COBOL and PL/I.  Not all Ada
      compilers support these features, because not all Ada compilers
      target that market.

   2) If you want to use decimal arithmetic in Ada, and your compiler
      compiler doesn't support decimal 'SMALL (or even if it does),
      run don't walk to your favorite ftp source and get the ADAR
      packages we built.  (The ADAR packages provide not only pure
      decimal arithmetic, but have both efficient > 14-digit types and
      "arbitrary" precision arithmetic.)

   > In Ada 9x there is a commercial annex that - if provided -
   > should give a clumsy version of the COBOL 'MOVE' and 'COMPUTE'
   > verbs from the 1960's.

   1) I don't understand this sentence. If you are talking about the
      fact that the IS annex will require decimal arithmetic support,
      this is really only a documentation change from Ada 83.

   2) Whether or not the IS annex is provided, there will be much
      better support for decimal arithmetic in Ada 9X, even if only
      because other features will make Ada 9X ADAR nicer and easier to
      use.

   > Disclaimer:  This my own a bee in my bonnet
   >   for which no organization has any responsibillity for.

   This is sheer intellectual laziness which you alone are responsible
for.  If you care about decimal arithmetic, get a compiler that
supports it, or use ADAR.  If no one asks compiler vendors for
"optional" features, they will never be supported.

--

					Robert I. Eachus

with Standard_Disclaimer;
use  Standard_Disclaimer;
function Message (Text: in Clever_Ideas) return Better_Ideas is...