Ada for Boeing 777

[Frank Petranka <fpetran@l10server.nswc.navy.mil>]

I just finished reading "Software Development for the Boeing 777" in
the January issue of CrossTalk.  This article was written by Ron Pehrson 
who was the manager of embedded software engineering at Boeing.  The 
article states that 2.5 million lines of new software were developed and 
about 70% of the code was Ada.  The remaining code was other laguages 
"such as C or Assembly".  Mr. Pehrson writes:

  "What we have learned so far about the use of Ada on the 777 is a mixed 
   message. ... We found no correlation between the languages used and
   the number of problems found on the system.  We found instances where
   Ada was used effectively, and the developers felt it substantially
   reduced software integration problems.  In other cases, development
   was hampered by problems with compilers and other support tools....

   The richness and complexity of the language helped knowledgeable users 
   with mature tools achieve modest productivity gains.  However, the 
   complexity of the language caused headaches for other users who had
   to work through compiler problems. ..."

As someone who has used both Ada and C, I was suprised and disappointed
that code written in Ada produced no fewer problems than code written in
C.  Athough variables such as experience, code complexity, etc. could
affect the results, it seems to me that they should average out on
such a massive project.

Am I expecting too much from Ada?   


Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed in this article are of the user 
and do not, in any manner, reflect that of the Navy.

            Frank J. Petranka          Naval Surface Warfare Center
            (540)653-4849              Dahlgren, Va. 22448
                    fpetran@relay.nswc.navy.mil