Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!bellcore!rutgers!ukma!xanth!ginosko!aplcen!aplvax.jhuapl.edu!genesch
From: genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Eugene Schwartzman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Learning Ada
Message-ID: <2561@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
Date: 8 Aug 89 15:02:12 GMT
Sender: news@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu
Reply-To: genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Eugene Schwartzman)
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Lines: 52

In article <6205@hubcap.clemson.edu> billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,) writes:

=From genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Eugene Schwartzman):
=> Personal example - I wrote a *very* small program (2 -3 packages, 
=> ~10 lines/package) and it took me days to figure out why I kept 
=> getting certain syntax error (not that the errors themselves were
=> very helpful).  Call me stupid, inexperienced with Ada, whatever, 
=> but imagine a beginning student running into that.  
=
=    OK; let's imagine.  Student gets syntax error.  Student tries
=    to determine cause, giving up after about an hour.  Student
=    shows the program to the local Consultant and asks what the
=    problem is.  Consultant points out the obvious error.  Student
=    resumes programming and goes on to obtain a CS degree.
=
=    Introductory CS classes generally have special consultants just
=    for that class, in addition to the consultants at the computing
=    center, and in addition to the professor teaching the course.
=    Now if the student doesn't take advantage of all this help, then
=    the student would probably be better off as a truck driver anyway.

     Everything you mentioned is nice in *theory*. Let's walk backwards,
     1) most professors don't want to deal with debugging, so there goes that.
     2) most consultants (aides) won't know Ada because it is usually not
	taught at the college level (at least not where I go, is it anywhere?)
	so there goes that and leaves only the class consultant (TA)
     3) most TA's have verty limited office hours (~3/hrs week) and the 
	classroom (~2 hrs/week).  5 hours a week is too little for the amount
	of students who have problems (I know, I've been a TA/tutor).

     Now, again, I agree with you. unfortunately it is all in *THEORY*, but
     in reality, there is very little help available and most students relly
     on other student's help, but then how many students do you know that are
     willing to take up the time helping others - not many.

gene schwartzman
genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu
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Disclaimer:  These are my opinions and not of my employer.
=
=> As far as Ada being real-world, I'd have to disagree with you very loudly.
=> The only "real" world that uses it with any regularity is government and 
=> military.  What if the person doesn't want to work for either?  
=
=    Why, then the person could work for Arthur Andersen, Reuters, or
=    any of the many other non-defense companies using Ada...  simple, 
=    huh?  The demand for Ada people greatly exceeds the current supply.