rcd@nbires.UUCP (07/18/86)
In the discussion of whether Ada "technology" (compilers? tools? etc.) can
be exported, and what controls apply, I haven't yet seen much on how this
could apply to the commercial world. The issue that I see is that if there
is ANY chance that using Ada is going to make it more difficult to export
products, the commercial world is going to avoid Ada like the plague--and
rightly so!
Anything that could wrap more red tape around the export of a product can
kill you in the marketplace. So even if 90% of your market is domestic,
you've got to consider your foreign market. If DoD considers stringent
export controls necessary, I guess that's their call, but the Ada community
should realize that this is going to have a chilling effect on use of the
language, even for mostly domestic work.
It would be particularly helpful to have very solid, clearcut guidelines
about what is and isn't exportable--because if you're making a business
judgment, "I don't know" or "It's not clear" or "We'll have to see" are all
equivalent to "No".
--
Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086
...At last it's the real thing...or close enough to pretend.