Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!emory!gatech!purdue!haven!uflorida!cs.fau.edu!theo From: theo.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Theo Heavey) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Effort estimation based on language Message-ID: Date: 7 Feb 91 17:48:21 GMT References: <7790001@hpwrce.HP.COM> Sender: bbs@cs.fau.edu (Waffle BBS) Organization: Florida Atlantic University Lines: 21 kingsley@hpwrce.HP.COM (Kingsley Morse) writes: > My understanding is that APL is the most productive language to use. However, > it's hard to read, so the learning curve is long and steep. I remember a stud > by IBM showing that applications can be developed 4 - 10 times faster with > APL. Development with APL *may* be faster or easier BUT to use APL for a product that will have a life of more than a few runs is IMHO NUTS. Even the best APL programs are basically _unmaintainable_ by *anyone* including the developer. Being a former-IBM employee I know my division was a C house for development purposes. One of our people was well versed in APL and he was totally discouraged by our management for any development in the language after he could not conduct a proper walk through with a program prototype he had built himself. Theodora Heavey Florida Atlantic University Dept. of Computer Science