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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,XPRIO autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,c6c96fe0302f04f,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-08-16 01:46:35 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!129.240.148.23!uio.no!newsfeed.song.fi!newsfeed.kolumbus.fi!not-for-mail From: "Juha Valimaki" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: POLL: Would you use Ada more if... Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 11:46:38 +0300 Organization: Elisa Internet customer Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: ua133d44hel.dial.kolumbus.fi X-Trace: phys-news1.kolumbus.fi 1029487594 25439 62.248.241.133 (16 Aug 2002 08:46:34 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@kolumbus.fi NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 08:46:34 +0000 (UTC) X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:28086 Date: 2002-08-16T11:46:38+03:00 List-Id: hi, I have been looking for Ada tools for my one man company. There are many Ada compilers/tools on the market each with their own strong and weak points, but I feel there would still be room for another tool set (probably from some already existing developer...). I hope to get some replies here that would in some small way make it easier for tool developers to make the decision to produce a new kind of commercial Ada package. I believe there is certain hidden potential in people who learn Ada and are willing to use it in their work, but then can't _partly_ because they can't find tools they need. For example, go to http://netscan.research.microsoft.com/ and get statistics for "comp.lang." newsgroups. The ranking of comp.lang.ada is getting better all the time... [statistics start around 10/1999] [I know this message doesn't make it any easier to produce the tools, but hopefully it adds something new to question about how large the non-embedded & non-high-reliability user base might be.] (I personally would like to use Ada for "yet another consumer application" development). The question is: Would you or your company use Ada more if there was Visual C++/Metroworks/.. like tools available at reasonable cost? By "Visual C++/Metroworks/.. like" I mean products that are easy to buy from any web shop, are commercially developed and can be "used together" to get wide platform support (Mac/Linux/Win/Unix). Why easy to buy? Because it's so common to buy off-the-shelf products. If someone says to his/her boss: "there is this open source package I want to use...", the reaction is IMO quite likely: "I don't trust open source stuff". Yes, people accept open source stuff more easily these days, but people making decisions feel they are responsible and they need to look at the matter more closely before approval and they don't have time... so they say no. If someone says: "I want to buy support contract...", the reaction is same: people want to know more before approval. Off-the-shelf packages are easier: it's a concrete physical package that has certain price tag. People are used to buying packages: Software, books, food, anything... [the idea here is that unfortunately many decision makers don't make smart decisions, they make easy decisions] Why commercially developed? I think people feel there is higher risk in using "without commercial gain" developed packages.[The whole idea might be in error, but if many people feel that way it will affect sales.] Why wide platform support? I think people have now learned their portability lessons... many packages have been ported to platforms no one believed they would have to deal with. I think people already look at Mac and Linux as potential targets and it's important to be prepared. [the process of porting a C++ app is known and even if it's not always an easy process, it's a known process. The effort needed to port Ada code is unknown for many non-Ada-using managers, but wide platform support would make it easier to believe the porting can be done (of course it can be done!)] Okay, thanks for your time, Juha Valimaki Digital Studio Lifelike Oy P.S. simple YES/NO replies would make this poll easier to follow :-) ------------------------------------------- (email reply: remove 'x' from domain name)