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Ada and Beyond Software Policies for the Department of Defense (1997) / Chapter Skim
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D Detailed Comparisons of Ada and Other Third-Generation Programming Languages
Pages 92-100

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From page 92...
... study compared Ada with four other languages by conducting expert evaluations based on 48 technical language features arranged in six categories, and combining the evaluation results with the results of performance benchmark test results (IBM, 1985~. A follow-on study was conducted by the Software Engineering Institute (SEl)
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From page 93...
... PROJECT EVALUATION DATA in comparisons of Ada with other programming languages in actual development projects, empirical data on characteristics such as expressibility, maintainability, defect rates, reusability, and cost factors are of particular interest. Since Ada has been used in relatively large programs, a larger proportion of data has been collected for Ada than for contemporaneous commercial programming languages like C and C++.
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From page 94...
... Table D.3 summarizes the comparative C and Ada experience data over this period. Zeigler analyzed potential confounding effects of relative C and Ada software complexity, personnel capability, and learning curve effects and found that these factors did not cause any significant bias.
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From page 95...
... Reifer's project cost data, shown in Table D.4, indicate that, in general, Ada, C, and C++ programs were less expensive per delivered source line of code (SLOC) than other 3GL programs or the domain norm for military applications, although C and C++ programs were less expensive than Ada programs in all military domains except airborne and spaceborne weapons systems.
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From page 96...
... . _& · ~ · ~ 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 Project Midpoint FIGURE D.1 NASA-SELdevelopment error rates.
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From page 97...
... Appendix D Table D.4 Cost Data by Language (dollars per delivered source line of code) 97 Application Domain Ada 83 Ada 95 C C++ 3GL Norm Command & Control Commercial 50 n/a 40 35 50 45 Military 75 n/a 75 70 100 80 Commercial Products 35 30 25 30 40 40 Information Systems Commercial n/a n/a 25 25 30 30 Military 30 35 25 25 40 35 Telecommunications Commercial 55 n/a 40 45 50 50 Military 60 n/a 50 50 90 75 Weapons Systems Airborne & Spaceborne 150 n/a 175 n/a 250 200 Ground-based 80 Old 65 50 100 75 Assembly C CHILL Pascal Ada 83 Ada 9Xa C++ Smalltalk Cost 5,547 2,966 2,260 1,993 1,760 1,533 1,180 1,007 Ada 9X figure based on simulation.
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From page 98...
... SOURCE: Reprinted from Reifer (1996~. 0.3 0.5 n/a n/a 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.7 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Table D.7 Defects for Telecommunications Applications (delivered defects ner function point)
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From page 99...
... Productivity As described in Chapter 2 in the section titled "Software Engineering Process and Architecture," one of the key relationships in software development productivity is the relationship of development effort to program size that is, the value of the "process exponent." A MITRE study (Giallombardo, ~ 992) found substantial improvements in productivity for large embedded military software developments provided by Ada compared with other 3GLs.
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From page 100...
... However, there is some positive evidence in the cost area, and when it is combined with the anecdotal conclusions favoring Ada (described in "Anecdotal Experience from Projects" in Chapter 2) and the lack of solid evidence indicating less expensive custom software development in other languages, a case can be made that using Ada provides cost savings in building custom software, particularly for real-time, high-assurance warfighting applications.
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Key Terms

  • source lines
  • delivered defects
  • software engineering
  • error rates
  • source line

  • telecommunications applications
  • delivered source
  • process exponent
  • compare ada
  • custom software

  • cost data
  • ada projects
  • development error
  • aviation administration
  • software development

  • empirical data
  • federal aviation
  • ada code
  • fewer defects
  • warfighting applications

  • roughly equivalent
  • software projects
  • evaluations based
  • reports variations
  • using ada

  • key relationships
  • personnel capability
  • analyzed potential
  • organized effort
  • equivalent delivered


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