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From: alanb@sdl.mdcbbs.com
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: c++ vs ada results
Message-ID: <1991Jun25.112956.1@sdl.mdcbbs.com>
Date: 25 Jun 91 10:29:56 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.201740.16463@netcom.COM> <1991Jun16.041037.11606@kithrup.COM>  <1991Jun24.201111.13742@netcom.COM>
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In article <1991Jun24.201111.13742@netcom.COM>, jls@netcom.COM (Jim Showalter) writes:
>>Second, the learning curve to go from c to
>>c++ is much shorter and easier than that for COBOL, Fortran, etc. to
>>Ada.
> 
> A much more valid comparison, I think, would be the learning curve to
> go from C to C++ vs the learning curve to go from Pascal to Ada.
> -- 

Not necessarily. I believe there is a lot more C, COBOL, Fortran experience
"out there" than Pascal. Certainly I've never noticed a job advert asking for
Pascal experience.
Lots of people use it for teaching, which is what is was designed for - but
problems like no facilities for seperate compilation mean that there is no
support for organising large projects - structuring large/complex projects
is supposed to be something object-orientation is good at.
(I am aware many Pascal compilers do support modules - I hadn't heard there
was any standard for these extensions - if there is I retract the last
statement.)

I'd say the relevent comparison is C to C++ vs. C to ADA if you work in C,
Fortran to C++ vs. Fortran to ADA if you work in Fortran, etc.

If you want a "next step" from Pascal, the description of Modula-3 recently
posted in this thread sounds nice (we don't get comp.lang.modula3 here).

I have seen it claimed that the "short learning curve" is actually a
_disadvantage_ - it encourages people to go on writing C, thinking that they
are now using an object-oriented language, so that's all there is to it.

Hence the comment that C++ is (in contrast to ++C), increment C,
and use the old value :-).

Alan Braggins      alanb@sdl.mdcbbs.com      `cat ~/.disclaimer`