From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.4 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_50,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,c6e9700a33963193 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: "Michael Garrett" Subject: Re: The future of Ada Date: 1999/03/11 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 454085879 References: <36E690FA.4B9C@sandia.gov> Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 Date: 1999-03-11T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Here's my impression: ( Actually its an opinion ) >Ten months into the project, the project leader announced >very abruptly that Ada would be scrapped, C++ would be used, >and there would be a six month slip in the project to permit >training in C++ and rewriting the completed Ada code. His >reason - "There may not be any Ada programmers to do >maintenance several years from now, but we will always be >able to get C++ programmers." ( He did not say software engineers ) This person is frustrated. He / She obviously thinks that Ada is delaying the project probably due to the upfront design that is required in Ada. actually required in any language but I'll get to that.. ) I am just learning Ada, and it is frustrating sometimes to realize that I can not just sit down and code something, even to try it out. Leaning Ada has taught me alot about how little I know about software engineering. Having weak type checking and very little type support in a language, fosters the code it now fix it in validation mentality. ( It sounds like I'm condeming some language, but I'm not. If the process works, the software will most likely work, And be delivered on schedule ). As a manager of Medical Device Developement, I would not want it any other way. But in most companies that lack large scale or safety critical software development experience, the percieved pain of not seeing some cluged up prototype ( which will probably end up in the system ) is enough to make this type of rash decision happen. What needs to be addressed is not the programming language. The language is a small tool that is used in a portion of the development process. It is used to execute the implementation of a design. Hopefully, the language tools i.e. compiler will catch as many problems as possible before the code is released. My suggestion, is to analyze the design process itself. If this project was moving at record breaking speed, this person would not be frustrated, he / she would be putting out press releases on the use of Ada, with his / her smiling face on the cover shot. >I am obviously frustrated. How can I continue to promote >the use of Ada when the numbers mentioned in the first two >paragraphs above indicate a lack of growth in Ada compared >to the other languages? Any thoughts, either positive or >negative, will be appreciated. The numbers in this case do not signify much. This person supported you when you first chose Ada. Did he / she go through the training courses ? Maybe this person knows C and the Ada Learning curve is too steep while C++ looks like C and is more accessible. Ada will be around for a while, along with the tools. Any good software engineer can learn and use Ada. Process, Process, Process Process.................Repeat After Me................... If none of this is true, you are the victim of a political move, in order to achieve notoriety and a promotion. I'm frustrated too..... Michael C. Garrett Vice President of Research and Development Medical Research Laboratories www.mrlinc.com > >Gordon Dodrill >Sandia National Laboratories - Albuquerque, New Mexico