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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,d89b08801f2aacae X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-04-29 12:23:03 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!213.56.195.71!fr.usenet-edu.net!usenet-edu.net!enst!enst.fr!not-for-mail From: "Beard, Frank [Contractor]" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: RE: Is strong typing worth the cost? Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 15:21:38 -0400 Organization: ENST, France Sender: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org Message-ID: Reply-To: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: marvin.enst.fr Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Trace: avanie.enst.fr 1020108182 40259 137.194.161.2 (29 Apr 2002 19:23:02 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@enst.fr NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2002 19:23:02 +0000 (UTC) Return-Path: X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Errors-To: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org X-BeenThere: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.8 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: comp.lang.ada mail<->news gateway List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: comp.lang.ada-admin@ada.eu.org X-BeenThere: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:23232 Date: 2002-04-29T15:21:38-04:00 This will be very difficult to get an apples to apples comparison, because the group that is not allowed to use subranges or subtypes should also suppress range checking. Because then they will have to program in all the necessary checking to prevent erroneous results. The group that uses subtypes/subranges will mean they had to spend some time in some up front analysis, where the unprotected group will not. The fun will begin when your test data contains out of range values and the unprotected group starts producing all type of erroneous results, which will take hours, or days, if ever, to uncover, where the strongly type group will find it in minutes. Unless what you're really talking about is comparing the use of parent types to subtypes. In this case, you sort of in the in-between realm. You have range checking for when you go outside the parent range, but then you still have to manually code in the sub-range protection. How are you going to determine that the unprotected group programmed all the necessary checking? Are you going to have some type of code analysis software to check it out? This will have a huge impact on downstream maintenance. Frank -----Original Message----- From: dmjones [mailto:derek@NOSPAMknosof.co.uk] Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 2:38 PM To: comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org Subject: Re: Is strong typing worth the cost? Ted, >> I have been trying to locate evidence that the cost of the use >> of strong typing is repaid by a greater benefit. > > There was a study done on compiler software by Rational. It showed > something like 2x productivity for Ada over C, with the credit being > laid at least partially on Ada's strong typing. It should be available > somewhere on their website, but you'll probably have to search for it. Thanks for the reference. But I my interest is purely in the advantages of strong typing. Language comparison is too broad an issue. The experiment I had in mind was two set of subjects, all working on the same Ada program. However, one set of subjects is not allowed to use subranges or subtypes. All objects holding integer values have integer type. The other set of subjects would be able to create as many different integer types as they liked. How long would each group of subjects take to complete their tasks, and what would down stream maintenance costs be (for programs created by each set of subjects) ? _______________________________________________ comp.lang.ada mailing list comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org http://ada.eu.org/mailman/listinfo/comp.lang.ada