Re: ada and robots

[jsa@alexandria.organon.com (Jon S Anthony)]

In article <Pine.SGI.3.95.970619163029.5827A-100000@shellx.best.com> Brian Rogoff <bpr@shellx.best.com> writes:

> > It is rather amazing, isn't it.  BTW, I've completely given up on C++.
> > I think C still has its uses, but C++?  I don't think so.
> 
> I do.
> 
> C++ is a very widely used *family-of-languages* which will be with us for 
> a long time.

Oh, it is _used_ all over the place (well, more or less - it's often
difficult to glean whether it is just being used as a ANSI C sort of
thing.)  I was talking about "uses" as in "the best thing to use here
is C++".  This latter does not seem to have good rationale no matter
what the situation: if it is simply C stuff - use C.  Numerical stuff
- use Fortran.  If it is something needing flexible higher level
capabilities, sophistication and lower level efficiencies - use Ada
(or Eiffel).  Implemenations and availability are every bit as viable
as those for C++.  Something even higher level - use Lisp or ST or
some such.


> large number of projects cranking out code. So there probably is a
> use for C++ qua C++, even if we could make technical arguments that
> Ada can do the job "better".

I don't mean just "technically".


> IMO, its really a question of degree only. All computer languages
> fundamentally suck.

Right.  This I completely agree with.  However, a large enough
quantitative gap gives a qualitative difference.


> I just happen to find Ada's flaws far more palatable for those
> programming tasks for which C, C++, and Fortran are often used.

I hear ya.  But, for me, the degree to which C++ sucks puts it in a
class of its own.


/Jon
-- 
Jon Anthony
OMI, Belmont, MA 02178
617.484.3383
"Nightmares - Ha!  The way my life's been going lately,
 Who'd notice?"  -- Londo Mollari