The author humorously points out the juxtaposition of highly academic programming languages with Ada, a “bureaucratic-feeling” language dating back to 1983. Ada’s unique dependent types, focusing on avoiding dynamic allocation, and its type system that models and enforces intent rather than machine types, are highlighted. The discussion delves into arrays with arbitrary bounds, discriminated records, subtype keywords, unnamed descendant types, and discriminants to create flexible type structures. The interplay between practical languages like Ada and formal theorem provers in the context of correctness verification is explored, emphasizing Ada’s goal-driven approach compared to theoretical purity. Ultimately, Ada’s design philosophy is likened to COBOL, emphasizing functionality over academic ideals.
https://nytpu.com/gemlog/2024-12-27