Re: Is the Writing on the Wall for Ada?

[aek@vib.usr.pu.ru (Alexander Kopilovitch)]

Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:

> > it would be far too stupid to expect
> > that such a major system transformation will proceed smoothly everywhere
> > at the micro-level (where we live -;).
>
> It cannot especially, because an overwhelming despise to science and
> knowledge. Look at the picture of a scientist in Hollywood films and
> cartoons!

Well, people are right in that despise (which is actually only partial, not
overwhelming). It was caused by pseudo-scientists of all flavors, which are
multiplied in increasing rate (like pseudo-engineers in former Soviet Union,
if you remember) A pseudo-scientist is not necessary a parasite or unskilled
or stupid or dishonest person - he (or she, these times -;) is just not a
scientist, but with all visual attributes of one - diploma, degrees,
vocabulary, workplace, duties and lifestyle. It became possible when the
numbers of "licensed" scientists increased greatly - number of real scientists
increased substantially, but at the same time number of pseudo-scientists
skyrocketed much higher. After several decades of such proliferation of
pseudo-scientists (and even quasi-sciences), common people became aware of this
effect... and I don't think that it is Hollywood to be blamed - it was 
behaviour of those pseudo-scientists in real life that disclosed their presence
and their numbers.

> The major problem of bad management is a lack of any desire to hear
> opinons which differs from your own.

I think that almost everyone would like to hear seriously and skillfully
considered, beautifully expressed and responsible (that is, backed by some
form of signing or by reference to external support) opinion, which is offered
for free -:) . So the question is whether a manager expects these qualities
from an opinion of another person. Given real circumstances I do not always
blame the manager if his (or her -:) expectations are low.

>>> Mission critical software in Visual Basic;
>>
>>I must confess that I'm sick and tired of those words "mission critical".
>>What a mission?
>
>One of the program.

It is not always clear which mission has a program. I think I saw more than
one case where different people have different opinions about the program's
mission. But anyway, I asked about particular mission - just curious to hear
concrete enough example of this kind of a blame.

> > Imagine that you are offered lucrative contract, which
> > you think you can easily done... but it is non-negotiable requirement that
> > all must be done in Visual Basic. Will you reject that offer? Or, if you
> > accept it, will you develop bad/unsafe/unreliable software, excusing 
> > yourself by inherent inferiority of Visual Basic?
>
> This is the situation we usually have. The question is why these
> requirements are considered absolute?

There may be trivial reasons. For example, your customer wants to have an 
opportunity to modify some pieces of the software in some future, without your
assistance; and he reasonably thinks that it will be some support for Visual
Basic in the future, and there will be non-expensive workforce for that; at the
same time he is not sure that there will be comparable conditions for any other
language, which is equally affordable now. It's enough, isn't it? Notice, that
is is *his* territory - manager's, and not yours, programmer's. He may or may
not take consequences from that his decision, but you, as a contractor, most 
probably will not.

And let me remind you that not too much ago in some places exactly Ada was
considered as absolute requirement; and there were some reasons for that.

> Who are those decided that
> Windows and Basic has to be there? Why they decided so. If you dig
> just a bit deeper you will find that in 90% cases these decisions are
> absolutely ungrounded and caused by sheer incompetence.

Perhaps. So what? All people's activities suffered, suffer, and will suffer
from that, not only programming. Medieval theologists believed that this is
one of the major consequences of original sin.

> You mean that any popularity would make Ada worse? (:-))

If you mean popularity among professional programmers than perhaps, almost Yes
(replacing "any" by "radical raise of"). But if you mean popularity among
scientists and engineers - than No.

> > > Where you saw cheap subcontractors? (:-))
> >
> >Did you mean that you for some reason can't use individuals as subcontractors?
> >(Otherwise I can't get this your question.)
>
> We cannot use cheap individuals! (:-)) To find a skilled programmer
> with a permission to work in EU and to pay him/her a salary of a
> supermarket cashier ...

I can't believe that you aren't aware of "virtual contractors".



Alexander Kopilovitch                      aek@vib.usr.pu.ru
Saint-Petersburg
Russia