Re: Advice on selling Ada to a C shop

[Warren <ve3wwg@gmail.com>]

Jeffrey R. Carter expounded in news:hvkcf6$auo$1@tornado.tornevall.net:

> usenet@scriptoriumdesigns.com wrote:
>> 
>> So, what points would you emphasize to each (manager, programmers) to
>> make the Ada sale?  I've read a lot of the advocacy and I think I
>> have a fair handle on it, but I'd still like other viewpoints, and
>> perhaps even examples of such a successful switch.
> 
> I think there is no way to sell Ada to developers. Ada is a
> SW-engineering language; coders don't like it. In my experience, 98%
> of developers are coders. SW engineers generally like Ada once they
> become aware of it. So if your people are SW engineers, Ada will sell
> itself; if they're coders, there's no way to sell it to them.

This is why I suggest that they try it with GNAT 2010 with
the ATMEGA chips.  But even this might be a hard place
to start from (learning the Ada language).  But if they
have Linux and some free time with GNAT first, then an
AVR project should not be a big leap from there.

If you have to sell the developers, you got to get them to
"want" it.  They need to sell themselves somehow. That
is where a pilot project or proof of concept comes in.  

Learning Ada is an uphill climb at first and many may 
only climb it kicking and screaming ;-)  If they are to
be self taught, then I'd also plan on providing some 
good texts for them.

Warren