Re: Eiffel for DoD development?

[riehler@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Richard Riehle)]

In article <36h4bp$k96@source.asset.com>
  weisek@source.asset.com (Kevin Weise) writes:


>>
>>And yes, the 'Ada Police' *will* come and get in your face if you get
>>caught trying to use something else,

>
>Would that it were true!  I could give you a handful of programs that
>are COMPLETELY ignoring the mandate and getting away with it.


From: Richard Riehle

We do not need the "Ada Police."  We need sustained quality leadership.

I am pleased to report that we have recently discovered more and more DoD
sites who are paying attention to Secretary Paige's instructions.  I just
returned from an Ada training assignment with one of the important DoD
computer programming installations and found a management that was both
enthusiastic and committed to implementing DoD policy.  Of real importance
was the fact that the Director of this installation was leading the way.  The
middle managers knew what the Director required, and they were taking steps
to make it happen.  This site has PC's, Mainframes, and UNIX systems. They
have a plan in place for moving ahead.  The Director even announced his
plans to follow Secretary Paige's advice to begin designing long-term
projects using the new Ada 94 standard.  

If we can continue to develop this kind of leadership in key DoD organizations,
there will be no need for recriminations.  There will be no need to explore
culpability.  The Director of this installation actually pays attention to
the direction from his top management.  He is naive enough to believe that
orders are orders.  And he makes cure his subordinates understand his firm
committment to following those orders.

Give us a few more managers like this, and all the talk about "Ada Police"
becomes irrelevant.

I, too, like Eiffel.  It is a beautifully designed language.  But DoD policy
is Ada.  Let's stick to it.

Richard Riehle
AdaWorks Software Engineering
Suite 27
2555 Park Boulevard
Palo Alto, CA  94303
(415) 328-1815   FAX  328-1112
email: adaworks@netcom.com