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Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
From: Duke Normandin <dukeofperl@ml1.net>
Subject: Re: Ada noob here! Is Ada widely used?
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Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 19:06:26 GMT
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Date: 2010-05-20T19:06:26+00:00
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On 2010-05-20, Alex Mentis <asmentis@gmail.com> wrote:
> On May 20, 8:53�am, Duke Normandin <dukeofp...@ml1.net> wrote:
>> I'm new to Ada, but not to programming in general. Decided to learn a new
>> language, and Ada was of interest to me. Am enjoying the language so far -
>> using GNAT GPL nad Coronado's old tutorial.
>>
>> Just curious to know if Ada is still widely used, and in what area(s) does
>> it excel, e.g. data processing, number crunching, graphics, etc? TIA..
>> --
>> Duke
>> *** Tolerance becomes a crime, when applied to evil [Thomas Mann] ***
>
> There are others who will be more qualified to answer this than me, but
> annecdotally it sounds to me like Ada has a wider base in Europe right now
> than in the US.
>
> The language is good for embedded, real-time, and safety-critical software
> where high reliability is required.  It is often used in the space and
> aviation industries for these reasons.
>
> Some like Ada as a teaching language.  A lot of its syntax is Pascal-
> like.  A frequently-cited weakness in the academic area is that there are
> not a lot of people developing packages for Ada that students can use to
> achieve a high level of functionality for a low cost (in time) of
> learning.  Students tend to be able to do much more advanced (graphics,
> networking, etc.) projects more quickly with languages that have more
> libraries and community support than Ada currently offers.
>
> Alex

That is indeed sad, given that Ada is such a mature language. These types of
resources should have been freely available at Ada's home a long time ago.
However, I suspect that the commercialization of Ada has, in the past, been
responsible for impeding its proliferation. Same trauma suffered by many
other great languages, some of whom are bordering on extinction. There still
may be time for Ada?
-- 
Duke
*** Tolerance becomes a crime, when applied to evil [Thomas Mann] ***