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From: Jeff Templon <templon@visar.physast.uga.edu>
Subject: Re: Fortran or Ada?
Date: 1998/09/23
Date: 1998-09-23T00:00:00+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <m3zpbq24wq.fsf@visar.physast.uga.edu> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 6u8r5o$aa4$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com

dewarr@my-dejanews.com writes:

> This is obviously written by someone who does not know both languages well.
> The two books are definitely NOT comparable in semantic detail. But if you

I don't know Ada well, although I have waded thru a substantial fraction
of both books I mentioned.  It is true that Cohen's book goes into
more details and has many more examples than does Metcalf/Reid.
But I still think what I said is true.

> *do* know both languages well, you will note that both modern Fortran and
> Ada are large languages. Neither is complex by my definition of complex,
> people usually mean large when they say complex (just look at the data
> in the above paragraph used to support the allegation)

There are two additional factors which affect one when using a complex
or large language:

1) how well can you trust the compiler?  Compilers are tougher to write
   for big languages than for smaller ones.  It took nearly ten years
   for reliable Ada compilers to appear once the original Ada definition
   was released.  This is what I've read in software-engineering
   literature, so don't flame me if it's wrong, write the IEEE.

2) you have to be more careful since with a big language, it is
   easier to make a mistake in writing the program which turns out
   to be valid syntax for some feature you didn't know about.

I would write some examples, but no time.  Sorry.

					JAT




  reply	other threads:[~1998-09-23  0:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 96+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
     [not found] <36068E73.F0398C54@meca.polymtl.ca>
1998-09-22  0:00 ` Fortran or Ada? Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-22  0:00   ` Jeff Templon
1998-09-22  0:00     ` Rakesh Malhotra
1998-09-22  0:00     ` Larry Kilgallen
1998-09-22  0:00     ` Corey Minyard
1998-09-22  0:00     ` dewarr
1998-09-23  0:00       ` Jeff Templon [this message]
1998-09-23  0:00         ` Corey Minyard
1998-09-24  0:00           ` Joel Seidman
1998-09-24  0:00           ` Craig Burley
1998-09-25  0:00             ` dewarr
1998-09-25  0:00               ` Jonathan Guthrie
1998-09-26  0:00               ` Craig Burley
1998-09-26  0:00                 ` dewarr
1998-09-26  0:00                   ` Robert B. Love 
1998-09-26  0:00                   ` Craig Burley
1998-09-24  0:00         ` Marc A. Criley
1998-09-24  0:00           ` Jeff Templon
1998-09-25  0:00             ` dewarr
1998-09-25  0:00             ` Dale Stanbrough
1998-09-30  0:00               ` Daniel Barker
1998-09-30  0:00                 ` Lawrence Kirby
1998-10-01  0:00                   ` Aaron Crane
1998-10-02  0:00                 ` Fortran or Ada or gobbledygook? Wes Groleau
1998-10-05  0:00                 ` Fortran or Ada? Terry Devine
1998-09-24  0:00           ` dewarr
1998-09-24  0:00             ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-24  0:00               ` William Clodius
1998-09-25  0:00                 ` dewarr
1998-09-25  0:00               ` dewarr
1998-09-25  0:00                 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-25  0:00                   ` dewarr
1998-09-25  0:00             ` jbs
1998-09-26  0:00               ` dewarr
1998-09-28  0:00                 ` jbs
1998-09-29  0:00                   ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-29  0:00                   ` Gautier.DeMontmollin
1998-09-29  0:00                   ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-29  0:00                   ` William B. Clodius
1998-09-30  0:00                     ` jbs
1998-09-30  0:00                       ` William Clodius
1998-09-30  0:00                       ` dewarr
1998-09-30  0:00                         ` jbs
1998-09-30  0:00                           ` William Clodius
1998-10-03  0:00                       ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-03  0:00                         ` Toon Moene
1998-10-03  0:00                           ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-03  0:00                             ` Toon Moene
1998-10-04  0:00                               ` Niklas Holsti
1998-10-05  0:00                                 ` Michel OLAGNON
1998-10-05  0:00                                   ` Ian St. John
1998-10-05  0:00                                     ` Richard D Riehle
1998-10-05  0:00                                       ` dewarr
1998-10-05  0:00                                     ` dewarr
1998-10-05  0:00                                       ` Ian St. John
1998-10-06  0:00                                         ` dewarr
1998-10-06  0:00                                           ` Toon Moene
1998-10-06  0:00                                             ` Jonathan Guthrie
1998-10-06  0:00                                           ` Ian St. John
1998-10-08  0:00                                             ` Offtopic Airport Diversion (Was: Fortran or Ada?) Harold Stevens ** PLEASE SEE SIG **
1998-10-08  0:00                                               ` Ian St. John
1998-10-08  0:00                                             ` Fortran or Ada? Gary L. Scott
1998-10-06  0:00                                           ` James Giles
1998-10-06  0:00                                             ` Mark A Biggar
1998-10-06  0:00                                               ` James Giles
1998-10-07  0:00                                                 ` dewarr
1998-10-07  0:00                                             ` dewarr
1998-10-06  0:00                                     ` Michel OLAGNON
1998-10-07  0:00                                       ` Ian St. John
1998-09-29  0:00                   ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-10-02  0:00                   ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-10-02  0:00                     ` jbs
1998-10-02  0:00                       ` William Clodius
1998-10-03  0:00                         ` jbs
1998-10-03  0:00                           ` Larry Elmore
1998-10-06  0:00                           ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-10-06  0:00                             ` Pat Rogers
1998-10-02  0:00                   ` Geoff Bull
     [not found]           ` <6udre0$ha1$1@nnrp1.dejane <6utg60$h6l$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
1998-10-01  0:00             ` robin_v
1998-09-23  0:00     ` Frank Ecke
1998-09-23  0:00   ` bglbv
1998-09-23  0:00     ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-24  0:00       ` Richard D Riehle
1998-09-23  0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1998-09-23  0:00 ` Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-24  0:00   ` John McCabe
1998-09-24  0:00     ` Dean F. Sutherland
1998-09-24  0:00     ` Gisle S{lensminde
1998-09-24  0:00 ` Samuel T. Harris
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1998-09-23  0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-96
1998-09-24  0:00 Walt Brainerd
1998-09-25  0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1998-09-25  0:00 ` dewarr
1998-10-05  0:00 Condic, Marin D.
1998-10-05  0:00 robin
1998-10-05  0:00 Robert I. Eachus
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