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=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 11232c,e59a9d893a249e86 X-Google-Attributes: gid11232c,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,ac39a12d5faf5b14 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-04-18 17:30:51 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!kibo.news.demon.net!demon!psiuk-p2!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,misc.misc Subject: Re: Outside view (still): Development process in the Ada community Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 10:07:36 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: References: <3CB46975.90408@snafu.de> <5ee5b646.0204171415.18ac5e85@posting.google.com> <99c4aee4a9ea33ca8fbe1e634b3b4f14.48257@mygate.mailgate.org> <3CBE49C4.99CFA22D@adaworks.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1019138857 29995 136.170.200.133 (18 Apr 2002 14:07:37 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 Apr 2002 14:07:37 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:22762 misc.misc:6635 Date: 2002-04-18T14:07:37+00:00 List-Id: "Richard Riehle" wrote in message news:3CBE49C4.99CFA22D@adaworks.com... > > Dr. Dewar is correct in his view that the designers of Ada have taken > great pains to avoid including language features that could be better > implemented as library modules. The question is whether these > libraries should be part of the standard Annexes. Should be expand > the Annexes to include generalize GUI specifications, Database > specifications, etc? The answer is not so simple. When one realizes O.K., but here's a fair question: If the language is designed to be extended with libraries, why do we seem to have such difficulty in incorporating libraries in some kind of "standard" way? There's extension of the language by my personal definition of libraries in my own development environment and that's fine. I realize there are all sorts of sticky issues in terms of actually updating the ARM annexes with additional libraries that would probably be useful to everyone, so I can see the reluctance to do so. But shouldn't we have some means of less formally extending the language via libraries that might be viewed more as "convention" than "standard"? Something formal enough that everybody understands what the libraries are about and they become "The Answer" for the problem domain in question (as opposed to "An Answer") but not so formal as to make it difficult to get things into or out of it? I think the W3C has a kind of interesting approach. They sort of look over a problem and put up a web page that says "Here's a standard that addresses the problem. Do you like it?" They might even put out two or three competing or overlapping standards to see which ones seem to begin to fly. The standards keep going through revisions as comments come in and sooner or later they declare victory and say "O.K. This standard is considered stable, so we promise no more changes to it." If better ideas and enhancements come along, they start a "Level 2" for the standard. Wouldn't something similar work for adding libraries to Ada? Some sort of consortium of vendors and users to develop library specs & possibly bodies that go through iterations until everyone is happy or at least too tired to keep arguing about it? Then declare some version of "By Convention, Ada Compilers Will Include This..." as a non-binding "standard" for adoption by members. Just an idea.... MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com