[NTLUG:Discuss] Linux Programming Classes??

[Bug Hunter]

On Tue, 1 Jul 2003, Darin W. Smith wrote:

> On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 15:22:04 -0500, Greg Edwards <greg at nas-inet.com> wrote:
> > I have not had the pleasure of doing Ada.  I never could afford the 
> > compiler or the out of pocket for a security clearance to get into 
> > defence contracts.  I have looked at Ada and I know several people that 
> > think it's really great to work with.  Kind of a PL/I done right.  Do Ada 
> > compilers still require DoD cert?
> >
> 
> If they are to be used on a defense project, then the DoD does have to have 
> it on its list of approved compilers.  However, that is not as strict as it 
> used to be.
> 
> There used to be a free GCC-based Ada compiler named GNAT at 
> http://www.cs.nyu.edu/cs/projects/gnat/

<snip> 
> Ada is no longer strictly required by the DoD, either.  I was kind of 
> disappointed by that, as I've seen lots of really sloppy C/C++ code that 
> were it implemented in Ada, no Ada compiler would ever let through.  When 
> you first start programming in Ada, it is quite frustrating.  I hear C++ 
> called a "strongly typed" language.  Hah!  Ada is draconian about types, 
> pure and simple.  But the time it costs you in getting code the compiler 
> will grok saves you 10x that amount of time as you can be assured that run- 
> time errors are almost nil.  Errors in your logic, yes...no language makes 
> you smarter.  Bus errors or seg-faults?  Not at all likely.  Once you leave 
> the "novice" stage and enter the "journeyman" stage, the Ada compiler has 
> made you a much more careful programmer.
<snip>

  I've talked to some developers that used Ada, at least in the earlier 
days.  It turned out that they had to use sooooo many "loopholes" to get 
real work done that much of the purpose of Ada was being defeated, at 
least for their projects.  It turned out to be very unmaintainable from 
the developers' point of view.

  I had not hears that the DoD had stopped strictly requiring Ada.  That 
is interesting.


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