From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,583275b6950bf4e6 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,59ec73856b699922 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public X-Google-Thread: fdb77,5f529c91be2ac930 X-Google-Attributes: gidfdb77,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-05-01 20:15:05 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!wn13feed!wn12feed!worldnet.att.net!bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Reply-To: "James S. Rogers" From: "James S. Rogers" Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.advocacy,comp.object,comp.lang.ada References: <9fa75d42.0304230424.10612b1a@posting.google.com> <9fa75d42.0304240446.493ca906@posting.google.com> <3EA7E0E3.8020407@crs4.it> <9fa75d42.0304240950.45114a39@posting.google.com> <4a885870.0304291909.300765f@posting.google.com> <416273D61ACF7FEF.82C1D1AC17296926.FF0BFD4934A03813@lp.airnews.net> <9fa75d42.0305010621.55e99deb@posting.google.com> <0-WcnWfafqsNpiyjXTWcqw@gbronline.com> <1051804573.732603@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> Subject: Re: Using Ada for device drivers? (Was: the Ada mandate, and why it collapsed and died) X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Message-ID: Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 03:15:05 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.86.36.216 X-Complaints-To: abuse@worldnet.att.net X-Trace: bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net 1051845305 12.86.36.216 (Fri, 02 May 2003 03:15:05 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 03:15:05 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.java.advocacy:63020 comp.object:62516 comp.lang.ada:36831 Date: 2003-05-02T03:15:05+00:00 List-Id: "Hyman Rosen" wrote in message news:1051804573.732603@master.nyc.kbcfp.com... > I don't know where this notion arose that a "super-strong" > type system is just for preventing bugs. I know that in C++ > the type system is an essential part of programming, given > the various static (templates) and dynamic (dispatching) > ways that types guide what code is executed. I'm sure it's > that way in Ada as well. > I agree. There is also an underlying assumption in the original troll that the only distinguishing feature of Ada is strong typing. This opinion can clearly only come from somebody who does not understand Ada's scope and visibility rules. Those rules, combined with intelligent use of user-defined types, will allow the compiler to detect an amazing range of logic errors. For instance, Ada scoping rules make it very difficult to access an out of scope reference object (Ada calls them access variables). Many languages have less strict scoping rules, providing the opportunity of inappropriate access to out of scope pointers. Jim Rogers