Re: Beware: Rep spec on an enumeration type ...

[dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Joe says

<<What one would have hoped for here was focused effort on solving the
problems that are driving customers away, not an argument claiming that
there is no problem, or that everybody is stupid, too stupid to use Ada.

On the other hand, perhaps you're right, and, in view of their limited
capabilities, they should run immediately to a language simple enough for
them to handle?
>>

There is no such thing as a language simple enough for people who don't know
what they are doing to handle. Actually, simplicity is a tricky thing. If
you go for a simple language, i.e. one with few features, then you may find
that you have to fiddle to do straightforward things. For example, if you
need exceptions, which would you prefer, the structured features of Ada
exceptions, or messing with setjmp/longjmp? (anyone who thinks that C is
immune from complex features whose efficienty depends on the implementation
should spend some time studying the various implementations of setjmp/longjmp).

Similarly, the advice that successful projects need close cooperation between
domain experts, and people who understand the tools, and details of basic
computer science, applies regardless of the language being used. I have
seen complete chaos created by people who know the problem area but do
not have the necessary programming skills in Fortran, C, COBOL and virtually
all other programming languages.

Joe, I still get the feeling that your insistence on the idea that the entire
project should be staffed with domain experts, and your dismissal of the
suggestion that it would be helpful to have people whose primary expertise
was in software engineering, is the crux of your problem. Certainly you
are having problems that I do NOT see other groups having, and my analysis
is that this is the real source of the problem.

You ask above for a "focused effort .. solving the problems ...", but you
have in mind that the solution is to build an FAQ which will provide
simplistic rules (e.g. "never use formatted IO") that will magically solve
your problems. Sorry, I don't think this is feasible!