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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,a3ca574fc2007430 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 115aec,f41f1f25333fa601 X-Google-Attributes: gid115aec,public From: dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar) Subject: Re: Ada and Automotive Industry Date: 1996/11/11 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 195820331 references: <55ea3g$m1j@newsbf02.news.aol.com> <3280DA96.15FB@hso.link.com> organization: New York University newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.realtime Date: 1996-11-11T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Ken Tindall says "I think we should have a little respect for the Boeing point-of-view. It doesn't help them to be continuously pushed by academics to adopting unsound techniques. They have to live with the consequences of screwing up big time." In any language you only use tools that are appopriate to the job. The use of Ada tasking, and various tasking constructs works well in some situations, and is inappropriate to others. The important thing is to base the deisions on what tools to use on well founded technical judgment, and not vague (and quite misleading) generalities like "Ada tasking is too inefficient to use". I was struck at one meeting I was at with project leaders from various avionics groups. One group mentioned that it was using Ada tasking for critical flight control functions, and one of the other groups reacted amazed. Turned out they had not even *considered* using Ada tasking? Why not? Because they had heard that it was too inefficient. You do not have to be an academic to object to this method of decision making. I would guess that the Boeing decision makes perfect sense in the context of their application, but to draw vague generalizations from it makes little sense. You have to carefuly evaluate in the context of your own project what tools should be used, and you will do a better job of this evaluation if you base it on technical facts and good technical understanding rather than rumours!