Re: Study shows Ada tools ten times more costly

[dog.ee.lbl.gov!overload.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!zaphod.mps.o]

In article <C784HG.5E0@world.std.com> srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian)
 writes:
>    One comment has some relevance to the issue of the Ada Mandate.  To
>quote (page 99):
>
>	"The cost of software engineering tools ranges from less"
>	than $1 per function point, to more than $20 per function
>	point.  Developers using PC, Unix and Apple Macintosh
>	platforms have the largest selection of tools priced at
>	less than $1 per function point.  Manufacturers and
>	military software developers often use tools priced at
>	more than $10 per function point.
>
>
>    This comment to some extent supports the contention that the Ada
>Mandate, by sheltering the Ada tools companies from competition, is distorting
>the marketplace and making use of Ada more expensive than other languages.
>(I assume in his study that for the most part, military software developers
>only are buying Ada tools).
>

Dadgummit, Greg!  This is NOT related to Ada!  Tool cost is almost
diretcly related to the PLATFORM, not the language.  I spent 10
years in the military, five in electronic warfare and five in software
development.  The costs I found were related to using tools on specialized
hardware platforms: Honeywell, Tandem, HP Special Test Harnesses,
and aging IBM boxes.  All these products are either low-volume commercial
products or special-purpose military equipment.

Now, I'm not excusing these costs either.  Our military culture is more
paralyzed than the culture of large corporations -- changing from mainframes
to low-cost PCs is prohibitively expensive in the short-run, which is
how the military gets its budget.  Worse yet, even IF they change to
PCs/Macs, security requirements drive up the hardware costs outrageously.
(New oxymoron: TEMPEST-approved Laptop :-)  


-- 
-Comments above aren't neceessarily the opinion of the SEI, AJPO, or CAE-Link-
David Weller  |  Have you hugged your DRAGOON lately?
----I'm the Ultimate International Masochist: I speak Ada AND Esperanto!-----