Microsoft & Ada

["Andrew Carroll" <andrew@carroll-tech.net>]

> ------------------------------
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2004 23:57:03 +0200
> From: Ludovic Brenta <ludovic.brenta@insalien.org>
> Subject: Re: Microsoft & Ada
[snip]
> But only if they respect the ISO standard.  A few years ago, they
> tried to invent "non-portable Java" and the only thing that stopped
> them was a trial by Sun.  No Ada company, I fear, is in a position to
> sue Microsoft if they invent a "Microsoft Visual Ada" with weak type
> checking, no tasking, and no standard library other than Win32 to
> "ease interoperability" with their other .NET languages.
>
> Of course, the mere existence of a "Microsoft Visual Ada" flyer or
> brochure would be enough to make Ada in general more popular.  I don't
> care as much for the actual compiler :)
>
> --
> Ludovic Brenta.

Very well written Ludovic.

I don't doubt the exposure would help Ada if we were just focusing on
that one aspect, but at what cost to the Ada "standard" we are used to?
We know, at least we should know, that Microsoft doesn't just "jump on
the bandwagon".  Microsoft is more likely to buy the bandwagon, fire the
band members, melt all the instruments, junk the wagon and then open a
sports bar with a juke-box.

Andrew Carroll
Carroll-Tech
720-273-6814
andrew@carroll-tech.net