karl@grebyn.com (Karl A. Nyberg) (11/26/90)
>From the July 16, 1990 Electronic Engineering Times, by Brian Robinson.
Typos are mine...
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The Defense Department seems finally to be meaning what it says about
clearing up its horrendous software problems. And part of that -- a very
big part -- means that Ada will lose its orphan status and can finally come
in from the cold.
It was supposed to be one of the mandated languages for the DOD quite a few
years ago, but the mandate was so shot full of holes that those who had no
time for it -- and there were many -- simply looked the other way, chose
another language, and it seemed no one at the Defense Department cared to
know the difference.
Consequently, Ada has languished as an industry force. Its use has grown,
but it's hardly a giant presence.
It's a similar-sounding story to that of UNIX, which has also been around a
long time, and which some years ago was also touted as a wave of the future.
Every show you went to, each year seemed to be the one when UNIX was finally
going to arrive. Even now, there may be some who would still deny that has
happened.
But it has. UNIX is a ubiquitous presence in the science and engineering
field and is a growing requirement in the commercial sector. Every
[hardware] player now has to have a UNIX offering.
DOD MASTER PLAN
===============
The DOD's Software Master Plan, which the department produced several months
ago, says unequivocally that Ada is a focus for the software restructuring
efforts.
George Millburn, deputy director for Defense Research and Engineering, said
recently that those who think the DOD will continue waffling on the use of
Ada need to think again. Once there are sufficient compilers and tools in
place, the DOD "will insist" that Ada is used exclusively to develop DOD
software, he said.
Most recently, the Air Force said its new software policy will require the
use of Ada for all its software, mission-critical or otherwise, and with
very few exceptions. Look for the Army and Navy to come out with their own
directives soon.
The Master PLan goes to Defense Secretary Richard Cheney soon, probably this
month. If he signs off on it -- and he is expected to without much
discussion -- then it will be as much set in stone as it can be.
Add to all of that the growing sense of Ada as a commercial language, and
you have the inescapable conclusion that Ada is finally headed for the big
time. The '90s will be the decade of Ada.
Of course, I expect there will be those who will disagree with that ...
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-- Karl --