Re: Ada is not a failure.

[world!srctran@uunet.uu.net (Gregory Aharonian)]

>We have published a list of our successes in civilian industries
>(available from Xavier Dejoie (617-270-0030). The list is impressive and
>growing.  Automobile manufacturers, civilian aviation, process control,
>energy, transportation and others.

    Your list is miniscule and wimpy, compared to aggregrate uses of
programming languages in the US economy.  If someone in the Ada world had
the honesty to actually do a comprehensive survey/census of what is going
on, instead of these endless lets-pat-ourselves-on-the-back lists of Ada
successes, you will find that my guestimate of 2% market share for Ada is
pretty close to the mark.  And 2% is lousy, given the billions spent on
programs using Ada.

>It is true that we vendors need to better promote our successes.  Alsys,
>as one of the vendor community is beginning to do this now, within the
>realms of fiscal reality.  We also are cooperating with the Ada Software
>Alliance and AJPO in efforts to increase the visibility of Ada in ways not
>previously tried.

Better promote Ada?  How about getting your Telesoft subsidiary to start
sticking the phrase "Ada" into its ads.  That would be a good start.
Cooperating with ASA and AJPO?  Where have you guys been in the last seven
years?  Ways not previously tried?  Geesh, there are dozens of ways of
getting more attention for Ada that should have been done years ago.  How
about showing up at the Software Engineering trade shows, the object oriented
trade shows, the reengineering trade shows, etc?  (Admittedly, I feel bad
getting so testy, since Alsys has the best record for advertising Ada.)

>I encourage all of you to help by taking part in the promotion of its
>successes.

Right.  A week ago I put forth a proposal on comp.lang.ada for everyone
to jointly sponsor a series of ads in Computerworld.  I did not hear from
anyone from any of the Ada compiler vendor companies showing any interest
in even just talking about the idea.  No one.

>It is true that we vendors need to better promote our successes.  Alsys,
>as one of the vendor community is beginning to do this now, within the
>realms of fiscal reality.

One of the reasons it is so easy to doubt the honesty of such convictions
is that early on in the Ada days when the big bucks were flowing in, Ada
marketing and evangelizing was for the most part ignored.  Now that there
is no such easy money, you guys are crying.  Well too late.  You assumed
certain responsibilities early on in the life of Ada by allowing the country
to subsidize to some extent the founding of your companies.

Well, now your country is asking you to live up to your committments and
make the language succeed as you should have done years ago, especially
when others were trying to start Ada businesses with their own money.  Many
of these small startups failed because the large Ada players never played,
and just gouged.

And just in case your Telesoft subsidiary has no spell checker, Ada is
spelled "A - D - A".
-- 
**************************************************************************
 Greg Aharonian
 Source Translation & Optimization
 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178