Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!crm From: crm@duke.UUCP Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Ada Message-ID: <3624@duke.UUCP> Date: Tue, 11-Oct-83 21:19:10 EDT Article-I.D.: duke.3624 Posted: Tue Oct 11 21:19:10 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 13-Oct-83 05:06:05 EDT Lines: 33 Hear, Hear!! for the Ada article from M. Banahan! For the last couple of years I have been talking about how much better life will be when the Revolooshun comes and we can get a decent Ada compiler. Rather to my surprize, there are even some that have been validated now -- something I feared was far into the future. Consider some of the advantages: -- explicit typing allowing the programmer to be sure that his high-order bits aren't being tromped on ... with an escape to allow you to do wierd stuff if you must (the "unsafe programming" package/type/proc, whatever it is). -- an explicit mechanism allowing the programmer to get access to data within a structure BY NAME or thru a reference, without worrying about what else becomes visible thereby. -- The ability to define new data types AND THE OPERATIONS THEREON, while maintaining the general form and syntax of the language. -- Explicit compiler directives defined as part of the standard. -- Protective measures like array bounds-checking which can be disconnected, so they are available for debugging, but removable for production code (if your application is that time-dependant and/or you are that foolish.) There are lots more, but I've got to do some work today. Now, if I could just figure out why the ASSERT statement went away... Charlie Martin ...!duke!crm