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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: fdb77,374e3d493349dc8f X-Google-Attributes: gidfdb77,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,5dbc5c834131d614 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,fe82bd3a72926e1a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-10-13 22:23:02 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!headwall.stanford.edu!nntpserver.com!hub1.nntpserver.com!nntp-relay.ihug.net!newsfeeds.ihug.co.nz!ihug.co.nz!news.xtra.co.nz!news.mel.connect.com.au!newshub1.rdc1.nsw.optushome.com.au!news1.rdc1.nsw.optushome.com.au.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Israel Raj T Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.java.advocacy,comp.lang.ada Subject: Language design by by committee ( was Re: Try J# ( was Re: J# is there )) Message-ID: References: <9q223u$lap2j$1@ID-77397.news.dfncis.de> <46vast4p1qnb0e8bt59v4e8616hacvcgtd@4ax.com> <3BC5C49F.B1386292@ao_spam_nix.de> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 05:23:01 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 203.164.144.2 X-Complaints-To: abuse@optushome.com.au X-Trace: news1.rdc1.nsw.optushome.com.au 1003036981 203.164.144.2 (Sun, 14 Oct 2001 15:23:01 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 15:23:01 EST Organization: @Home Network Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.java.programmer:101505 comp.lang.java.advocacy:30782 comp.lang.ada:14469 Date: 2001-10-14T05:23:01+00:00 List-Id: On Sun, 14 Oct 2001 04:39:14 GMT, Dale Stanbrough wrote: >Now repeat after me... > Ada was not designed by a committee. > Ada was not designed by a committee. > Ada was not designed by a committee. Yes, you are absolutely right Dale.... At least 21 people and TWO committees were involved. "In 1975 the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) established a A High Order Language Working Group (HOLWG) ...to formulate the DoD requirements for high order languages . The requirements were widely distributed for comment throughout the military and civil communities, producing successively more refined versions from Strawman through Woodenman, Tinman, Ironman, and finally Steelman." http://www.adahome.com/History/Steelman/steeltab.htm "A high-order language working group (HOLWG) was formed with Whitaker as chairman. Other representatives included Cmdr. Jack Cooper, the Navy representative (along with Bernie Zempolich and Robert Kahane), Bill Carlson of ARPA, Maj. Tom Jarrell of the Air Force, Paul Cohen of the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), Lt. Col. Schamber of the Marine Corps, and Maj. Breault of the Army." http://www.adapower.com/adafaq.htm "The Ada design team was led by Jean D. Ichbiah and has included Berned Krieg-Bruechner, Brain A. Wichmann, Henry F. Ledgard, Jean-Cluade Heliard, Jean-Loup Gailly, Jean-Ryanmond Abrial, John G. P. Barnes, Mike Woodger, Olivier Roubine, Paul N. Hilfinger, and Robert Firth. " http://archive.adaic.com/pol-hist/history/histada.txt As for the use of the word "committee": "Dear Lord Lytton For some years now, the United States Department of Defense has been engaged in a project to define a new computer programming language for use in weapon systems, as opposed to scientific or business and commercial applications. This effort will shortly reach its climax with the publication of the language design in April 1979. Until now, the language has not had a distinctive name, and the steering committee of the project has been open to suggestions for such a name. The only serious contender, and one the committee would like to adopt, is Ada - in honour of Countess Lovelace. " http://archive.adaic.com/pol-hist/history/holwg-93/3.htm As for protests that Steelman was not a design document but was merely a requirements document, here is a brief extract from Steelman: "7C. Scope Rules. A reference to an identifier that is not declared in the most local scope shall refer to a program element that is lexically global, rather than to one that is global through the dynamic calling structure. Functions 7D. Function Declarations. The type of the result for each function must be specified in its declaration and shall be determinable during translation. The results of functions may be of any type. If a result is of a nonindirect array or record type then the number of its components must be determinable by the time of function call. Parameters 7F. Formal Parameter Classes. There shall be three classes of formal data parameters: (a) input parameters, which act as constants that are initialized to the value of corresponding actual parameters at the time of call, (b) input-output parameters, which enable access and assignment to thecorresponding actual parameters, either throughout execution or only upon call and prior to any exit, and (c) output parameters, whose values are transferred to the corresponding actual parameter only at the time of normal exit. In the latter two cases the corresponding actual parameter shall be determined at time of call and must be a variable or an assignable component of a composite type." http://www.adahome.com/History/Steelman/steelman.htm