[GAP] advice on Ada in general programming languages course

[Martin Mansfield]

Gene -

I have used Ada as our introductory programming language for the last five
years and have seen the same "raised eyebrows" as you. My response has been
the same as yours. Seeing your note encourages me to consider using Ada
throughout the curriculum (currently I switch to C++ in the junior year).

My students seem to like Ada as a language when they compare it to C, C++,
and Java. 

Regards
-- 
Martin F. Mansfield
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Indiana Tech
School of Computer Studies




> From: "Ressler, E. COL   EECS" <Eugene.Ressler at usma.edu>
> Reply-To: GNAT Academic Program discussion list <gap at gnat.info>
> Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 11:19:31 -0400
> To: GNAT Academic Program discussion list <gap at gnat.info>
> Subject: RE: [GAP] advice on Ada in general programming languages course
> 
> We use Ada as our main teaching language for CS majors and so are fairly
> constantly dealing with raised eyebrows.  I will relate our response.
> Though it does not apply directly to Ted's course, perhaps it's useful
> anyway. 
> 
> Fortunately we do not have to worry about our graduates contending with
> the short-term training needs of first-employers, so our reasons are
> based in helping people who are learning to design and write software:
> 
> * People who learn Ada finish the experience as better programmers
> regardless of language.  The same Ada features that make for reliable
> codes also encourage thinking that leads to better code in C/C++, Java,
> or what have you.  To wit, we have an exchange program that places
> students at another school that has a Java/C++/C# based CS program.  Yet
> we receive reports that our students pick up a new language on the fly
> and within a semester are writing better code than their counterparts
> who grew up with these other tools.  Ditto for summer internships.
> 
> * Nearly all students are more productive in Ada than in Java, C++, or
> Pascal.  I am qualified to say this for C/C++ and Pascal through
> personal experience with CS1/2 and courses on compilers, graphics, and
> operating systems.  Colleagues have verified it with Java, though the
> difference is not as stark.  I came at this issue as a huge skeptic, but
> was won over by the fact of students getting 50-100% more functioning
> code written on the same projects, same environment, with Ada than with
> C++.
> 
> * In a heterogeneous world, Ada is _the_ most mature cross-platform,
> non-proprietary, network-friendly development environment.  And it's
> freely available.
> 
> Of course there are negatives, too: the "binding lag" and popular
> prejudice are two; the former is most important.  But we live with these
> happily.
> 
> Gene Ressler
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