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: 103376,3d6589e7b2c60444 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-05-04 06:20:32 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!snoopy.risq.qc.ca!newsfeed.news2me.com!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!harp.news.atl.earthlink.net!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: employment with ada Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 09:20:25 -0400 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Message-ID: References: <626e8ae.0305011636.5e899da3@posting.google.com> <4mo7bvc2n70k6eikm3muu2965nbo3m77ov@4ax.com> <3EB415CB.6D97B14D@adaworks.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: d1.56.bb.b6 X-Server-Date: 4 May 2003 13:20:31 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:36933 Date: 2003-05-04T13:20:31+00:00 List-Id: We can all say "I think this is the wrong decision made for the wrong reasons", but that doesn't really help change the situation. When the bulk of the world that is doing embedded programming (such as what is on the JSF) is doing it in C or C++ it gets *really* hard for the decision makers in LMCO and elsewhere to spit into the wind and say "I'll risk this billion dollar project, the 30 year future of the aircraft and my professional career on a language that is being widely ignored by my counterparts in the private sector..." The way to get Ada into things like the JSF is to eliminate the objections that get raised. Whether it is accurate or not to say that no universities are teaching Ada doesn't really matter. It *is* accurate to say that the overwhelming bulk of universities are using something other than Ada for most of their courses. It may not be accurate to say that there are no Ada programmers out there or Ada vendors out there or Ada jobs out there, but it *is* accurate to say that there are lots more C/C++ programmers, vendors and jobs out there. And its not like its even a horse race. In real time, embedded work Ada is almost not even above the noise level. The way to fix that is to concentrate on building Ada software in areas where there is less to worry about with respect to long term support. Sideline projects, hacker work, entrepreneurial endeavors, "free" software, etc. Get it in use in everyday fields and then the big-ticket projects won't have so much objection. Build some of the things we see every day in Ada and that will create jobs. (An office suite? An accounting package? A web browser? Desktop utilities? A database? What do you see running on your computer right now?) If there are improvements in Ada that give it more leverage - such as libraries, a standard GUI, a database, etc. - it makes it more attractive to develop everyday applications in it. If we use Ada for more of these sorts of things, it will start building that necessary base to insure its future. Otherwise, the LMCO guys are making the right decision. MDC Richard Riehle wrote in message news:3EB415CB.6D97B14D@adaworks.com... > > It is interesting to me that, as I see DoD contractors making the error > of moving away from Ada toward inferior technologies, non-DoD > organizations are discovering its benefits (some of them are not > in the U.S.) and enjoying success with it. This is one more example > of the old phrase, "grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory." > -- ====================================================================== Marin David Condic I work for: http://www.belcan.com/ My project is: http://www.jsf.mil/ Send Replies To: m c o n d i c @ a c m . o r g "Going cold turkey isn't as delicious as it sounds." -- H. Simpson ======================================================================