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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,8623fab5750cd6aa X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public Path: g2news1.google.com!news1.google.com!newshub.sdsu.edu!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net.POSTED!01cc3b7c!not-for-mail Reply-To: "Richard Riehle" From: "Richard Riehle" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <40b9c99e$0$268$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk> <40ba315a$0$254$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk> <04udnR-eHNChzSbdRVn-vw@gbronline.com> <7J0xc.7371$8k4.269106@news20.bellglobal.com> <1086630278.542788@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <8xlxc.27603$sS2.845496@news20.bellglobal.com> <1086715817.122983@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <1086733411.736049@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <3Auxc.11998$XY6.1296622@read2.cgocable.net> Subject: Re: Improving Ada's image - Was: 7E7 Flight Controls Electronics X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 Message-ID: Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:43:23 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 66.81.221.243 X-Complaints-To: abuse@earthlink.net X-Trace: newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net 1086763403 66.81.221.243 (Tue, 08 Jun 2004 23:43:23 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 23:43:23 PDT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:1273 Date: 2004-06-09T06:43:23+00:00 List-Id: "I R T" wrote in message news:hdtlgx6r.fsf@pop-server.bigpond.net.au... > > The very fact that noone has bothered to write a commercial OS in Ada is > itself a datapoint. I wonder what datapoint you might be suggesting. Writing a commercial database is a fairly large effort. The fact that few have bothered writing operating systems that compete with Microsoft is a datapoint? In fact, several of the Run-time Environments that support Ada are written in Ada. These are mini-OS's targeted to support of bare-board computers. Further, there have been experimental OS's written in Ada, but those who have written them are not supported by the financial resources necessary to turn them into commercial products. We did miss an opportunity back when the DoD was a principle sponsor of the language. If someone had thought to port the idea of P-Code (now Java bytecode) to Ada so that resulting code would be portable across any system, we might have a different story today. If the compiler publishers had a better sense of how to commericialize Ada instead of raising the cost per seat to a level that could only be endured by a captive client such as the DoD, Ada might have had better commercial success and people might have used it for more applications, including operating system development. Instead, the developers found it more convenient to use a readily available language that required no up-front investment, C, as a the development tool. Can anyone blame them? The more I look back at the failure of Ada to capture the interest of the computer industry, the more I realize that, as Jeff Dunteman once noted, the compiler publishers deliberately priced it out of reach of the average commercial developer. Further, they identified it within their own organizations as the domain of "federal systems" sales force, and that sales force had no inclination to push for commercial sales since they were not likely to get the good commissions for their efforts. Ada 95, and GNAT, changed much of that. Notice that now there are far fewer Ada compiler publishers than before. There are certainly no "checkbox" compilers. Companies such as Green Hills, DDC-I, and ACT take their Ada responsibilties seriously, and they continue to provide good products. Some others now seem to see Ada as a necessary evil rather than a market opportunity. One almost gets the feeling that some of those other companies would not be unhappy if Ada simply vanished so they would not have to be bothered by it. Dissenting views from any compiler publishers? Richard Riehle OOOOOOPS! Sorry. I forgot to give kudos to Irvine Compiler for hanging in there too. >