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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Path: eternal-september.org!reader01.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!mx02.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Jeffrey Carter Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: F-22 ADA Programming Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:06:19 -0700 Organization: Also freenews.netfront.net; news.tornevall.net; news.eternal-september.org Message-ID: References: <220f97ab-9aa2-4961-b140-2b271c3ab99a@googlegroups.com> <99759c3f-a35f-4745-a8fd-2fb6ab6fb1aa@googlegroups.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:06:14 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: mx02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="206f88a41f45fc94d25d07d064d738e2"; logging-data="4512"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/PmBY+M2Zq6KKjhb4p/YVCKzvdlfvugIs=" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.2.0 In-Reply-To: <99759c3f-a35f-4745-a8fd-2fb6ab6fb1aa@googlegroups.com> Cancel-Lock: sha1:DOLNTKyi6ZpKvmJmZ3ekhaRwmYA= Xref: news.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:22871 Date: 2014-10-28T14:06:19-07:00 List-Id: On 10/28/2014 11:37 AM, Adam Beneschan wrote: > > I'm sorry, but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen posted in this newsgroup. Thanks! I think Botton may be right about the time machine, though. I was mainly playing devil's advocate, but there are ethical issues in language choice. And Simon Clubley wrote: > I am currently learning how to write a small extension for Android > Firefox because the Android version of Firefox doesn't support the > extension I use on the desktop version of Firefox. > > Should I not implement this extension (and hence do without it's > functionality) simply because I can't implement it in Ada ? Denying one's own comfort or convenience for the greater good is generally the essence of ethical problems. As such, rather than use an error- and security-vulnerability-filled browser, you should deny yourself the functionality while you write a better browser in Ada and give it away. The ethics of taking a job using a lousy language vs suffering unemployment may not be significant. It's certainly not on a par with collaborating with Nazis and remaining alive vs certain death. But what about when the S/W is to provide secure network communications or to control a self-driving car? Then those who choose to use the lousy language are at least partly responsible for the billions in financial consequences of a security vulnerability, or the deaths due to a S/W error. The ethical significance of the choice seems much greater. -- Jeff Carter "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought, cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles 89