Re: Ada Generic vs. C++ Templates

[Simon Wright <simon@pushface.org>]

Colin_Paul_Gloster@ACM.org (Colin Paul Gloster) writes:

> Generics are used in The Booch Components (original Ada 83 version and
> subsequent Ada 95 port). Pre-Ada 95 it was written on page 192 of "The
> Design and Evolution of C++" [1] by Bjarne Stroustrup:
> "[..Grady Booch implemented the Ada [83] version of The Booch Components
> and he and Mike Vilot later implemented the C++ [of the time] version of
> The Booch Components. The Ada [83] version] is 125,000 [since you
> probably speak German I point out that 125,000 in English is equal to one
> hundred and twentyfive thousand (big); not one hundrend and twentyfive
> (small)] non-commented source lines compared to the C++ version's 10,000
> [10000 not 10] lines - inheritance combined with templates can be a very
> powerful mechanism for organising libraries without loss of performance
> or clarity", referencing the second edition of "Object-oriented Analysis
> and Design with Applications" by Grady Booch.

The C++ BCs I was given a copy of when I started maintaining the Ada95
port have 29_000 non-comment source lines. The Ada95 port has 13_000
non-comment source lines.

The Ada port is incomplete; few of the Components have the synchronized
forms as yet (I'm puzzled by what to do about iterators & synchronized
forms, though the C++ version seems to punt on this too), and there
are no released Tools as yet (working on a Quick and Shell sort). Of
course there's no need for a port of the String classes to Ada.