Re: Ada policy enforcement

[adaworks@netcom.com (AdaWorks)]

N. L. Sizemore (102673.224@CompuServe.COM) wrote:

  [snip, snip, snip]

: The question:  Given the legal status of the Ada mandate as both 
: public law and regulation, why has DOD not only been lax in 
: enforcement, but allowed wodespread use of a language not even on 
: the list of DOD approved alternate languages?

  1) Wimpy DoD management
           (not by all, but by too many)

  2) DoD management's lack of understanding of the Rationale for Ada

  3) Uninformed programming decisions by senior commanders

  4) Managers who are intimidated by the technical superiority of
     their subordinates
          (Many old-time programmers, now managers, fail to keep current)

  5) Chain-of-command problems.  "Whoever made this policy is
     not in my chain-of-command, and therefore has no influence on my
     next promotion."

  6) Poorly implemented compilers.
          a) a compiler that passes validation but fails to
             support all the facilities of its targeted platform,
          b) a "checkbox" compiler that passes validation only well-enough
             so a hardware vendor can check the box, "Validated Ada."
  7) Badly constructed tools.


  -- ==================================================

     Jessica in "Who Killed Roger Rabbit"

             "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."


     Ada, explaining her namesake language,

             "I'm not bad. I'm just compiled that way."


  Few of Ada's problems have ever been technical.  Most have been
  managerial, both within and outside the DoD.  


  Richard Riehle
  adaworks@netcom.com
-- 

richard@adaworks.com
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