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=-0.0 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_20 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 17 May 93 16:53:01 GMT From: world!srctran@decwrl.dec.com (Gregory Aharonian) Subject: Re: Alsys, how insignificant is 18,000? Message-ID: List-Id: >I'd like to see some studies demonstrating: > 1. People make these decisions based on cost-effectiveness, > or any other rational process, and > 2. C++ _is_ more cost-effective than Ada, C, FORTRAN, BLISS, > or any other language. > >My belief is that choice of language is dictated more by perceived >popularity than any technical factor. I agree completely. I would like to see such studies that are based on full microeconomic models of life-cycle software development cost, and the rational choice theory models of how people choose to do things. But for all other languages, most people, including myself, probably woudln't care. Things are done within budgets, based on past experiences, and hopefully we learn from project to project. It's only with Ada, whose use is forced by federal legislation, that higher standards and justifications should be imposed. And one of the few studies, on which the legislation was somewhat justified, is the original Mosemann studies, which privately are held to be a joke, even by people from within the Mandated world. So I agree with you, lets seriously collect the facts, before decisions are made affecting national security. To date, they haven't been. Greg Aharonian -- ************************************************************************** Greg Aharonian Source Translation & Optimization P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178