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 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,21960280f1d61e84 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news2.google.com!news3.google.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!wns14feed!worldnet.att.net!attbi_s21.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "Jeffrey R. Carter" User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.8 (Windows/20061025) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: How come Ada isn't more popular? References: <5WDth.1154953$084.602591@attbi_s22> In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.201.97.213 X-Complaints-To: abuse@mchsi.com X-Trace: attbi_s21 1169763399 12.201.97.213 (Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:16:39 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:16:39 GMT Organization: AT&T ASP.att.net Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:16:39 GMT Xref: g2news2.google.com comp.lang.ada:8560 Date: 2007-01-25T22:16:39+00:00 List-Id: Alexander E. Kopilovich wrote: > > The original statement (from kevin cline) was: > >>>> What makes a programmer >>>> like a new language? Usually, someone comes along and says something >>>> like "Remember that program that we spent two weeks writing in C? >>>> Here's a Perl implementation that I put together in three hours and >>>> one-tenth the code." That's never happened with Ada. > > The article http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2000/08/mccormick.html > presents the case where use of Ada language in very specific circumstances > was much more effective than use of C language in the same circumstances. The circumstances differed in this respect: The C students were given 60% of the teacher's solution. Initially, the Ada students were given 10% (or maybe less). > Those circumstances include: > > 1) close support provided by teaching staff > 2) full and precise spefications for the problem domain > 3) stable general requirements for the task and at the same time relative > freedom regarding details, and anyway, the absence of a stream of > unexpected changes in requirements and/or scope and/or additional > requirements I agree that 1. doesn't apply to the OP's statement. However, I consider a running program to be a very precise and stable specification, so 2. and 3. appear to apply. And it's definitely a case of "Remember that program you couldn't get working in C in an entire semester even though you were given 60% of the code? Here's an Ada implementation that I got working in a semester when given 10% of the code." -- Jeff Carter "From this day on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish." Bananas 28