Re: A couple of questions

["Marius Amado Alves" <amado.alves@netcabo.pt>]

> How well does ADA interface with other languages ?

Well enough.

> I know it has capabilities to interface with ADO through COM, what about
> .NET, Can ADA do this now, are there any plans for the future ?

There is A# right now. And other bindings.

> I also read that ADA is reviewd every 10 years, so does this mean the
> language is going to change/enhance in any way for 2005 ?

Yes. I've been accompanying the revision process, and I like what I see very
much. A number of annoyances in Ada 95 will disapear, and the standard
library is being updated with lots of really useful stuff. Actually I'm
using Ada 2005 right now. Ask me how.

> One thing that makes me feel a bit uneasy about adopting ADA is that there
> seems to be very little activity on web pages for it, and the ADA FAQ is
> dated 1997, even some projects that are good now have not changed in over
a
> year.

Some things are old, some are new. That's the nature of the Web. There are a
lot of projects being updated right now.

> Is this becuase the software is so reliable it does not need to be changed
?

The latest public version of GNAT, 3.15p, has been around for a lot of time
with no serious problem shown.

> To be fair though this is also the same for a couple of other languages I
> have looked at, I guess I am used to seeing updates for C/C++ programs
> mainly bug fixes :)

The bug rate of Ada vs. the other mainstream languages (C, C++, Java) is in
the order of 1/10.

> How would ADA handle incorrect data types being input apart from exception
> handling or lots of messy if then statements ?

Be ready for the strongly typed language there is. Types are the heart and
soul of Ada. Once you get the type system right, the procedural code almost
writes itself.

> I would very much like to know any thoughts advantages/disadvantes of ADA
> compared to another language, but I dare not mention the other languages
> name to avoid being called a TROLL or starting a debate of this language
is
> better than that, like a similar post I noted about OO operating systems.

> I guess the only way I could really know is to use them both and decide
from
> there, however learning one language is time consuming but two will be
near
> impossible.

Then take a leap of faith, or more likely an informed decision from the
answers you are getting here.

> It is interesting to see that ADA supports range checking, but how about
> data type checking, does range checking preclude the need for exception
> handling  for a number too large being entered ?

For static calls yes. For data coming in from outside, of course you have to
check. For dynamic calls, sometimes it's wise to check or handle.

> I guess design by contract could be handled using lots of if then
statements
> and carefully crafted exception handling statements ?

No. The contract begins with the types you define, including generics.

> Can ADA interface with OpenGL ? have any games been written in ADA/would
ADA
> be suited for games programming ?

Yes. The most impressive graphical stuff I've seen is

> Are there any GUI designers available for ADA like in VB? even if this is
> just designing them and compiling as a resource or exporting as ADA code ?

GLADE is your friend.

> I have seen a couple of Commercial products for ADA Gnat Pro and GPS, but
> there are no published prices for this software.

There is a public, gratis, GNAT and GPS. If you need professional support
ask ACT or another consultancy/consultant for the prices.

> This menas that either they cost thousands or tens of thousands of pounds
or
> they are only availble as customised products, and dependent on what your
> requiremnts are depends how much it will cost.

Any consultancy will offer you either a standard package or costumized
support. It's your call.

> While learning ADA I am more than happy with ADAGide and Gnat, and
Gwindows

Strictly to learn Ada GNAT and a good book suffices. AdaGide, GPS, Emacs,
Notepad are all good editors. I guess using Gwindows can help practicing,
but you will not *learn* more *Ada* from there than just from using the
standard libraries.

> I have bookmarked ADApower.com, any other web sites that may be of
interest
> ?

adaworld.com, adaic.org, ada-auth.org

* * *

I came from C to Ada 95 circa 10 years ago. It improved a lot both the
quality of my software process, including productivity, and the quality of
the products. When I was making the shift, I also tried other languages,
including C++ and Java. I don't have a definite opinion on the quality of
these languages vs. Ada, because I didn't advance my expertise in them. I
only know Ada has been serving me well, and from continuing contacts with
other languages and respective programmers of all level, I still haven't
found any reason to change.