Re: How come Ada isn't more popular?

["Alexander E. Kopilovich" <aek@VB1162.spb.edu>]

Jeffrey R. Carter wrote:
 
>> The original statement (from kevin cline) was:
>> 
>>>>>  What makes a programmer
>>>>> like a new language?  Usually, someone comes along and says something
>>>>> like "Remember that program that we spent two weeks writing in C?
>>>>> Here's a Perl implementation that I put together in three hours and
>>>>> one-tenth the code."  That's never happened with Ada.
>> 
>> The article http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2000/08/mccormick.html
>> presents the case where use of Ada language in very specific circumstances
>> was much more effective than use of C language in the same circumstances.
>
>...
>
>> Those circumstances include:
>> 
>> 1) close support provided by teaching staff
>> 2) full and precise spefications for the problem domain
>> 3) stable general requirements for the task and at the same time relative
>>    freedom regarding details, and anyway, the absence of a stream of
>>    unexpected changes in requirements and/or scope and/or additional
>>    requirements
>
>I agree that 1. doesn't apply to the OP's statement. However, I consider 
>a running program to be a very precise and stable specification, so 2. 
>and 3. appear to apply.

Well, of course, after the program is completed and accepted then it 
represents a kind of precise specification. But in the case described in
the article those full specifications was known in advance, which, generally
(for common programmer) does not happen very often.

When, in the original statement, the teller points at particular program,
he certainly means that the information probably will be relevant not just
to that particular program, but to some wide class of programs, and it is
quite possible that many programs in this class have only partial and vague
specifications at the start of their development. 

> And it's definitely a case of "Remember that 
>program you couldn't get working in C in an entire semester even though 
>you were given 60% of the code? Here's an Ada implementation that I got 
>working in a semester when given 10% of the code."

Still note, that it was the teacher of the course making his comparative
conclusion to the readers of professional journal, and not one of his students
to another student. Actually that article does not mention any opportunity
for those students to make that comparison among themselves.

Therefore it is not exactly the case described in original statement, but
rather somehow similar case, no more than that. There is a teacher telling
another teachers (or project leaders or managers) how he, by switching to Ada,
enabled his students to do things which were too hard for them with C.
Consequently (and in full agreement with the original statement) this article
may contribute to Ada popularity among teachers, software development managers
or, perhaps, project leaders - but it is not the audience implied in the
original statement.