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From: bcase@apple.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Wirth's "challenge" (overflows)
Message-ID: <6778@apple.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Nov-87 13:08:10 EST
Article-I.D.: apple.6778
Posted: Thu Nov 19 13:08:10 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 16:08:18 EST
References: <1656@geac.UUCP> <863@winchester.UUCP> <197@m2.mfci.UUCP> <6743@apple.UUCP> <931@gumby.UUCP>
Reply-To: bcase@apple.UUCP (Brian Case)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, USA
Lines: 27
Keywords: integeroverflow, European attitudes

In article <931@gumby.UUCP> uday@mips.UUCP (Uday Kurkure) writes:

[Me saying that Europeans seem to be more concerned with runtime checking.]

>Runtime checking is inefficient. The issue is efficiency vs.reliability.
>Wherever reliability is important, even Americans favor runtime
>checking. For example, ANNA- specification and verification project
>at Stanford. ANNA is a specification and verification language for Ada and
>it is intended to check program correctness at runtime. A rumor has it
>that the SDI software ( an American concern ) would be specified in ANNA.

I'm glad you brought up the issue of ADA.  Disclaimer:  it could very
well be that I have my head relatively in the sand on ADA issues, but I
do know a little bit about companies like Rational of Mountain View.  I'll
have to admit that they are examples of Americans who are concerned about
runtime checking, and I should have thought of them off the top of my
head.

This is a pretty good example of what I mean.  ADA is embraced much more
affectionately in Europe than it is in the US, I would claim (in fact,
isn't it true that ADA's design was influenced heavily by Eurpeans???
Correct me if I am wrong, but don't flame me.)  As far as I know a lot
of the sales by ADA-oriented companies have been in Europe!  We were
talking about the NOVA episode "How good is Soviet Science?" when it was
mentioned that there, and in Europe, theoretical concerns are more
important than practical concerns.  This, I believe is the root.  Ok,
ok, you're right:  this discussion belongs elsewhere.