3 ms·

I don't particularly know ADA, but are you implying that it solves the issues that C++ couldn't? If so, why didn't it take off like C++ did?

by keyle 4y ago

cjbgkagh 4y ago
Ada has some really good synchronization primitives, I don’t know if that would have helped here as I haven’t looked at the problem that closely. I work at a much higher level so I lack the experience at this level. Ada was phased out for C++ primarily because the devs are cheaper.
naasking 4y ago
Proprietary compilers, some limitations in the type system meant the standard library wasn't as useful even though it is a safer language as a result. The verbosity also turned me of initially.
- kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
  It was also a bit of a PITA before Ada'95 and by which time C had won.
- pjmlp 4y ago
  C and C++ also only had proprietary compilers, mostly. However both were born alongside UNIX and that helped C++ to be quickly adopted by all major C compiler vendors, whereas Ada was always something extra to pay on top. When targeting UNIX, with C and C++ compilers on the box, who is going to pay extra for the Ada compiler unless required to do so?
  - naasking 4y ago
    > C and C++ also only had proprietary compilers, mostly. I was thinking more in the 90s where GNU already had a freely available C compiler, but GNAT didn't get a free version until the late 90s, and even then it was built on a fork of gcc you had to download separately until like 2000. It was just a lot of work to get up and running, as opposed to the bundling of C/C++ compilers with Linux that was common, as you say. The initial C compatibility helped C++ a lot too.
    - pjmlp 4y ago
      GCC only took off because Sun decided to split their UNIX into user and developer editions, and other UNIX vendors followed. Still same rule applies, when a UNIX shop paid for UNIX developer tooling, usually languages like Ada and Modula-2 weren't in the box, you needed to pay extra.
kergonath 4y ago
It very much does. Ada has been designed for safety and concurrency, and for environments where failure is something to avoid at all costs. However, it still has issues of its own; no language is perfect and the best-suited for all use cases.

I don't particularly know ADA, but are you implying that it solves the issues that C++ couldn't? If so, why didn't it take off like C++ did?

by keyle 4y ago

I don't particularly know ADA, but are you implying that it solves the issues that C++ couldn't? If so, why didn't it take off like C++ did?

cjbgkagh 4y ago

Ada has some really good synchronization primitives, I don’t know if that would have helped here as I haven’t looked at the problem that closely. I work at a much higher level so I lack the experience at this level. Ada was phased out for C++ primarily because the devs are cheaper.

naasking 4y ago

Proprietary compilers, some limitations in the type system meant the standard library wasn't as useful even though it is a safer language as a result. The verbosity also turned me of initially.

kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
It was also a bit of a PITA before Ada'95 and by which time C had won.
pjmlp 4y ago
C and C++ also only had proprietary compilers, mostly. However both were born alongside UNIX and that helped C++ to be quickly adopted by all major C compiler vendors, whereas Ada was always something extra to pay on top. When targeting UNIX, with C and C++ compilers on the box, who is going to pay extra for the Ada compiler unless required to do so?
- naasking 4y ago
  > C and C++ also only had proprietary compilers, mostly. I was thinking more in the 90s where GNU already had a freely available C compiler, but GNAT didn't get a free version until the late 90s, and even then it was built on a fork of gcc you had to download separately until like 2000. It was just a lot of work to get up and running, as opposed to the bundling of C/C++ compilers with Linux that was common, as you say. The initial C compatibility helped C++ a lot too.
  - pjmlp 4y ago
    GCC only took off because Sun decided to split their UNIX into user and developer editions, and other UNIX vendors followed. Still same rule applies, when a UNIX shop paid for UNIX developer tooling, usually languages like Ada and Modula-2 weren't in the box, you needed to pay extra.

kergonath 4y ago

It very much does. Ada has been designed for safety and concurrency, and for environments where failure is something to avoid at all costs. However, it still has issues of its own; no language is perfect and the best-suited for all use cases.