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    Length: 4147 (0x1033)
    Types: TextFile
    Names: »FOREWORD«

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TextFile

                             Foreword




Ada is the result of a collective effort to design a common language for
programming large scale and real-time systems.

The common high order language program began in 1974.  The requirements
of the United States Department of Defense were formalized in a series
of documents which were extensively reviewed by the Services, industrial
organizations, universities, and foreign military departments.  The Ada
language was designed in accordance with the final (1978) form of these
requirements, embodied in the Steelman specification.

The Ada design team was led by Jean D. Ichbiah and has included Bernd
Krieg-Brueckner, Brian A. Wichmann, Henry F. Ledgard, Jean-Claude
Heliard, Jean-Loup Gailly, Jean-Raymond Abrial, John G.P. Barnes, Mike
Woodger, Olivier Roubine, Paul N. Hilfinger, and Robert Firth.

At various stages of the project, several people closely associated with
the design team made major contributions.  They include J.B. Goodenough,
R.F. Brender, M.W. Davis, G. Ferran, K. Lester, L. MacLaren, E. Morel,
I.R. Nassi, I.C. Pyle, S.A. Schuman, and S.C. Vestal.

Two parallel efforts that were started in the second phase of this
design had a deep influence on the language.  One was the development of
a formal definition using denotational semantics, with the participation
of V. Donzeau-Gouge, G. Kahn, and B. Lang.  The other was the design of
a test translator with the participation of K. Ripken, P. Boullier, P.
Cadiou, J. Holden, J.F. Hueras, R.G. Lange, and D.T. Cornhill.  The
entire effort benefitted from the dedicated assistance of Lyn Churchill
and Marion Myers, and the effective technical support of B. Gravem, W.L.
Heimerdinger, and P. Cleve.  H.G. Schmitz served as program manager.

Over the five years spent on this project, several intense week-long
design reviews were conducted, with the participation of P. Belmont, B.
Brosgol, P. Cohen, R. Dewar, A. Evans, G. Fisher, H. Harte, A.L. Hisgen,
P. Knueven, M. Kronental, N. Lomuto, E. Ploedereder, G. Seegmueller, V.
Stenning, D. Taffs, and also F. Belz, R. Converse, K. Correll, A.N.
Habermann, J. Sammet, S. Squires, J. Teller, P. Wegner, and P.R.
Wetherall.

Several persons had a constructive influence with their comments,
criticisms and suggestions.  They include P. Brinch Hansen, G. Goos,
C.A.R. Hoare, Mark Rain, W.A. Wulf, and also E. Boebert, P. Bonnard, H.
Clausen, M. Cox, G. Dismukes, R. Eachus, T. Froggatt, H. Ganzinger, C.
Hewitt, S. Kamin, R. Kotler, O. Lecarme, J.A.N. Lee, J.L. Mansion, F.
Minel, T. Phinney, J. Roehrich, V. Schneider, A. Singer, D. Slosberg,
I.C. Wand, the reviewers of Ada-Europe, AdaTech, Afcet, those of the
LMSC review team, and those of the Ada Tokyo Study Group.

These reviews and comments, the numerous evaluation reports received at
the end of the first and second phase, the nine hundred language issue
reports and test and evaluation reports received from fifteen different
countries during the third phase of the project, the thousands of
comments received during the Ansi Canvass, and the on-going work of the
Ifip Working Group 2.4 on system implementation languages and that of
the Purdue Europe LTPL-E committee, all had a substantial influence on
the final definition of Ada.

The Military Departments and Agencies have provided a broad base of sup-
port including funding, extensive reviews, and countless individual con-
tributions by the members of the High Order Language Working Group and
other interested personnel.  In particular, William A. Whitaker provided
leadership for the program during the formative stages.  David A. Fisher
was responsible for the successful development and refinement of the
language requirement documents that led to the Steelman specification.

This language definition was developed by Cii Honeywell Bull and later
Alsys, and by Honeywell Systems and Research Center, under contract to
the United States Department of Defense.  William E. Carlson and later
Larry E. Druffel served as the technical representatives of the United
States Government and effectively coordinated the efforts of all
participants in the Ada program.