Quoting the RM (was Re: Top 10 Ada myths)

[eachus@spectre.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus)]

In article <3klbqm$fkc@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM> dweller@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM (David Weller) writes:

 > Ouch!  Jeez, Mats.  Robert is one of those guys who eats, sleeps, and
 > breathes Ada (if I recall correctly, he also has a somewhat annoying
 > habit of quiting chapter, section, and paragraph from memory :-).

   I never knew I quit chapters. ;-)

   Seriously the trick is that, just like the Bible, there are a few
key paragraphs that come up over and over, and after the fifth or
sixth time you can (or at least I can) recite the paragraph and the
citation in your sleep.  (Not that I'm always asleep when I read
c.l.a., but sometimes it seems that way.)

   Hmmm. It would be fun to come up with list of the top ten citations
in Ada 83 for the FAQ...11.6(7) "A predefined operation need not be
invoked at all..." must be number one.  3.6.1(2) (for I in -1..10
doesn't work) is up there but no where near as popular as in early
years.  Five to seven years ago 9.6(1) "...for at least the duration
specified..." was near the top.  Any other votes for first place?

   In Ada 95 on the other hand most of these "you know what we mean"
problems are gone.  Answers to questions about the standard often
involve the interaction of several sections, but they are fairly
clear.  The ONLY reference I have so far memorized in Ada 95 is
3.9.3(4-6), which is where you find that derived subprograms with a
controlling result are abstract, and must be overridden.

    I don't know why those paragraphs don't sink in, but it seems you
have to explain why it is important (constructors always must be
overriden if they are dispatching) before people remember it.
--

					Robert I. Eachus

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