Contractors submitting inaccurate Ada reuse surveys

[world!srctran@uunet.uu.net (Gregory Aharonian)]

    It seems that for some new RFPs, the DoD is requiring contractors
to submit surveys of reusable Ada software available and relevant to
the new project.  While it is a great idea (one I suggested three
years ago at an SEI symposium), I hear through the grapevine that the
contractors are abusing the process by submitting only cursory surveys
of available Ada reuse components.  I assume that they do this since
they know that noone in the DoD can assess such lists without access to
a comprehensive list of available reusable software, and other than my
large database (which no one in the DoD gives a damn about) there are no
comprehensive sources.

    It is this kind of hypocrisy that is undermining Ada acceptance.
The DoD imposes impossible-to-verify rules, the contractors submit
impossible-to-challenge reuse lists, everyone is happy, and DoD software
reuse is set back even more.  It's hard to remember that national
security is at stake here.

    My phone number is 617-489-3727.   If you are interested in submitting
honest lists of all of the relevant reusable software, call me (though I
have to charge because there is no room at the trough for little Greg).
If you are interested in keeping the contractors honest, call me and I'll
verify the thoroughness of their lists.  Otherwise, get rid of the RFP
requirement - it is one more Ada policy that undermines the language by
its flagrant disregard.

Greg Aharonian

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 Greg Aharonian
 Source Translation & Optimization
 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178