From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.5 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_05 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 11 Aug 93 16:07:24 GMT From: fsi-ssd!mikeb@uunet.uu.net (Mike Bates) Subject: Re: Govern.Comp.News editorial says "Drop Ada Mandate" Message-ID: List-Id: Bob Munck (munck@Stars.Reston.Paramax.Com) said: >It is my opinion that this cause is the short-sightedness that >is increasingly built into American commercial management. Ada >and CASE are not used because of a (real or perceived) upfront >cost that is not balanced against the long-term benefits. In At my old job, I used CASE tools on a DOD/Ada/2167A software subcontract. The company paid for a week of training by the vendor (Cadre). Although the training was helpful for understanding the methods behind the tools, I found that Teamwork did not fit very well into the process of 2167A development and Ada design. In particular, Teamwork provided no assistance in reusing the data developed in requirements analysis in the detailed design phase. We ended up using DEC's Language-Sensitive Editor and Source Code Analyzer for detailed design and report generation. The Ada compiler turned out to be a far better check on design consistency and completeness than Teamwork's Ada diagramming tool, and the Source Code Analyzer' report generator was fully customizable. Text seemed to be a more natural means than diagrams to express the state of our design. Were I to have the opportunity to specify a software environment on another 2167A program, I'd encourage management to skip on the CASE tools and spend money on a good document publishing package and a language-sensitive editor. When CASE vendors demonstrate that they understand the requirements of Ada/2167A development, I'll be happy to take another look. There is a place for automation, but companies have good reason to be skeptical of CASE at its current level of (im)maturity. (I should mention that we didn't get to make full use of IDE's Software through Pictures on the earlier project. Their environment seemed to allow for much more tailoring, the user interface was, in my opinion, easier to use than Teamwork's, and the training course was a good summary of both concepts and mechanics.) >(BTW, I personally put much of the blame for industry's lousy >long-term management on Ronald Reagan and the Harvard Business >School. Some may argue with that, but please not in Info-Ada I personally put much of the blame for the midwestern floods, Teapot Dome, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and eruption of Vesuvius on Ronald Reagan. Why not? Everything else seems to be his fault.... >School. Some may argue with that, but please not in Info-Ada >or c.l.a). If you don't want people arguing politics in c.l.a, don't go making irrelevant political statements. This group is political enough as it is. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mike Bates FlightSafety International, Simulation Systems Div. Principal Engineer 2700 North Hemlock Circle Computer Systems Group Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012 mikeb@ssd.fsi.com 918-251-0500 ext. 581 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mike Bates FlightSafety International, Simulation Systems Div. Principal Engineer 2700 North Hemlock Circle Computer Systems Group Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012 mikeb@ssd.fsi.com 918-251-0500 ext. 581