Re: Is strong typing worth the cost?

[dmjones <derek@NOSPAMknosof.co.uk>]

Ted,
 
>> I have been trying to locate evidence that the cost of the use
>> of strong typing is repaid by a greater benefit.
> 
> There was a study done on compiler software by Rational. It showed
> something like 2x productivity for Ada over C, with the credit being
> laid at least partially on Ada's strong typing. It should be available
> somewhere on their website, but you'll probably have to search for it.

Thanks for the reference.  But I my interest is purely in
the advantages of strong typing.  Language comparison is too
broad an issue.

The experiment I had in mind was two set of subjects, all
working on the same Ada program.  However, one set of subjects
is not allowed to use subranges or subtypes. All objects
holding integer values have integer type.  The other
set of subjects would be able to create as many different
integer types as they liked.

How long would each group of subjects take to complete their
tasks, and what would down stream maintenance costs be (for
programs created by each set of subjects)
?