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: 103376,4f316de357ae35e9 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-08-13 18:06:51 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-06!sn-post-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: "Randy Brukardt" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: FAQ and string functions Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 20:03:55 -0500 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: References: <4519e058.0207300548.15eeb65c@posting.google.com> <20020731104643.C1083@videoproject.kiev.ua> <4519e058.0208010629.5e6182ca@posting.google.com> <20020801194720.Q1080@videoproject.kiev.ua> <4519e058.0208020605.5ab7e092@posting.google.com> <3D4AAF63.72782659@san.rr.com> <3D4B2382.7030209@telepath.com> <3D4B2ACD.FDA29B9A@san.rr.com> <3D4B401E.3060802@telepath.com> <3D4B4477.500088B@san.rr.com> <3D4EA1AC.80D17170@san.rr.com> <3D4FF351.8F4A6C0A@san.rr.com> X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3612.1700 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3719.2500 X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:27999 Date: 2002-08-13T20:03:55-05:00 List-Id: Darren New wrote in message <3D4FF351.8F4A6C0A@san.rr.com>... I should stop commenting on week-old messages, but I've been on vacation and can't resist... >No. Let me ask you this. Do you think Unbounded_String should not be in the >standard libraries that come with every Ada compiler? Do you think that it >shouldn't be used, or that everyone should reprogram it themselves? > >If someone comes along and says "I found unbounded strings, but I can't find >the same thing for arrays of integers instead of arrays of characters", do >you *really* think the right answer is "well, you never need to do that in >Ada, and if you think you need to do that, you just don't know Ada well >enough". If that's what you think the answer is, can you explain why >unbounded arrays of characters are standard and unbounded arrays of integers >are not? No, that's a silly answer. The correct answer is that "you need to use access types for that. Ada allows only a limited amount of automatic dynamic allocation because it is concerned about making inefficient constructs visible" followed by an example like the one given earlier in this thread. If you want to mention packages as well, that's fine, but it is making an easy problem harder IMHO. The original poster, who seems to be more concerned about how easy the code is to write than about its performance or its maintainability, is simply looking at the wrong tool for the job. Ada is not about writing code quickly or easily. It is about writing code correctly for the long haul. (i.e. the Janus/Ada compiler, which will turn 22 in early October, or even Claw, which is about 6 1/2 years old now). The extent for which writing Ada code for other purposes is easy is a pleasant side-effect, not the purpose or reason. Randy.