Free space for student Ada Mac applications?

[Edward Berard]

I am toying with an idea, and am posting it on the net for some
feedback.

I am on the executive committee for a large Ada trade show being held
in Anaheim, California in mid-October of this year. I am considering a
number of types of exhibits. At Mac World EXPOs, there is often a booth
sponsored by Apple in which students may exhibit their Macintosh
applications. I would like to conduct the same type of an exhibit with
Ada applications running on the Macintosh.

The rules would be simple:

1. Eligible participants would be college and university students
who have created Ada applications on and for the Macintosh.

2. Those applications deemed to be worthwhile would be provided
FREE booth space in a large community booth at the
above-mentioned Ada trade show. Since space is limited,
applications would be considered on a first-come-first-serve
basis.

3. The applications would have to be engineered to a large degree
using the Ada language. Specifically, while mixed-language
applications would be considered, all accepted applications
would have to be at least 50% written in Ada.

There are currently at least 3 validated Ada compilers for the
Macintosh. TeleSoft (based in San Diego) and Alsys (based in Waltham,
Mass.) have Ada compilers that run under A/UX on the Mac II. Meridian
(based in Laguna Hills, Calif.) has an Ada compiler that runs under
MPW on the Plus, SE and II.

Let me know what you think (flames and all).

-- Ed Berard
(301) 695-6960

[Rich Siegel]

In article <3...@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu> ebe...@ajpo.sei.cmu.edu (Edward Berard) writes:
>I am toying with an idea, and am posting it on the net for some
>feedback.

Uh-oh.. :-)

*FLAME ON*

> 1. Eligible participants would be college and university students
> who have created Ada applications on and for the Macintosh.

And exactly how many college and university students
do you know offhand that know Ada, much less write large programs in it?

>There are currently at least 3 validated Ada compilers for the
>Macintosh. TeleSoft (based in San Diego) and Alsys (based in Waltham,
>Mass.) have Ada compilers that run under A/UX on the Mac II. Meridian
>(based in Laguna Hills, Calif.) has an Ada compiler that runs under
>MPW on the Plus, SE and II.

Again, just how many collegesstudents do you think have a Mac II
running A/UX? These things cost real money. I do know for a fact that at
CMU some students have Mac II's, but they are the exception rather than
the rule. (I should know, I used to go there.) And the same basically
holds for MPW; most students who program are going to be using Mac 512's,
Plus, or possibly SE machines, but MPW is demanding of hardware (and of $)
so the choice of software will be a mainstream product like Macintosh
Pascal or some similar beast.

>Let me know what you think (flames and all).

I think it's a pretty impractical idea, myself.

> -- Ed Berard
*FLAME OFF*

Rich

Rich Siegel
THINK Technologies

Rich Siegel
Quality Assurance Technician
THINK Technologies Division, Symantec Corp.
Internet: sin...@endor.harvard.edu
UUCP: ..harvard!endor!singer
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