Re: Improving Ada's image - Was: 7E7 Flight Controls Electronics

["Warren W. Gay VE3WWG" <ve3wwg@cogeco.ca>]

Hyman Rosen wrote:
> Warren W. Gay VE3WWG wrote:
>> In the end yours is not a justifiable statement WRT to Ada.
>> It does not compare at all to Ada (which is what the discussion
>> was). Unless you bring metrics into the discussion, and involve
>> metrics that can be compared to Ada, you are then just stating
> 
>  > an opinion (above) that C is as good as Ada (or something to that
>  > effect), and offering Linux as some sort of proof.
> 
>> The bottom line is that unless Linux is perfect, you
>> cannot state that Ada could not have done better.
> 
> Unsurprisingly, you don't get it. The burden of proof is on you,
> not me, because you are the one trying to move people away from
> the established uses of C and C++ over to Ada. Linux and Microsoft
> operating systems and applications serve as existence proofs of the
> ability to use C and C++ to build good, stable systems, systems
> which are used every day by millions of people to get their work
> done. 

Fine the OP (not me) said that Ada is "better/whatever".
Sure, the burden of proof is on the promoter of that
position.

But you've stated a position also.

You keep making this statement that the existing O/S's
are "stable.." etc. Yes, they are existance proofs
of operating systems _implemented_ in C, but nothing
further. Existence does not imply efficient for example.

And Yes, people get useful work done by them -
this was true of Windows 3.1 too, but _that_ was hardly
stable! The only stable element of that C system was
the BSOD ;-) <insert quote about how IBM invented
Ctrl-Alt-Delete but how Microsoft made it famous>

Your assertion that they are so "good" is the point that
doesn't hold water. If you are going to promote that view,
then you need to substantiate it. Otherwise it is useless
information apart from existance. Existence does not
imply stable, efficient, useful that you keep saying
it does.

> Ariane 5 is an existence proof that the mere use of Ada in
> the building of a system is not a panacea against disaster.

Nobody has said that here; certainly not me.

</thread>
-- 
Warren W. Gay VE3WWG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~ve3wwg