Re: FAQ and string functions

[tmoran@acm.org]

> While for splitting string like "x=2*3" people will must be to write
> program enstead split("=","x=2*3"), people will write in Perl, not Ada.
  As they should.  If you want to go a half block down the street, you
ought to walk, not drive.  Cars are not designed to be fast or efficient
at half-block transportation.  Similarly, if you just have a simple
scanner and don't worry about erroneous input or speed of execution or
whether the program it's part of can be supported and modified over the
next 10 years, by all means use Perl for the job.  Don't object that
nobody will ever drive a car because they need to have keys, and get in
and close the door, and know how to drive, and perhaps scrape the ice
off the window, and find a parking place at the end of the trip.  Those
are good reasons to prefer walking a half block, but the considerations
for a 20 mile trip or a 200 mile trip will probably lead you to drive.
If you want something robust, efficient, and maintainable for a long
life, Ada is more likely appropriate.