AdaIC News Winter 1995

Influencing the Future of Ada

Second Dual-Use Workshop February 6-8


Dual-use - using Ada both inside and outside government - is a major priority for the growth of the Ada language. In October 1993, at the first Dual-Use Workshop hosted by the Defense Information System Agency (DISA), the Ada community gave input to DISA on how best to increase the academic, commercial, and government use of Ada.

Based on the input from workshop participants, DISA developed a detailed Ada Dual-Use Program Plan. On Feb. 6-8, there will be a second workshop to relate the successes of the plan and revisit the strategy to further promote the acceptance of Ada.

Participants from academia, government, industry, and computer hardware and software vendors will consider three question areas as they apply to their sectors: What initiatives can the DoD mount to increase Ada's appeal or acceptance, or to increase the market? What additional investments can the DoD make to increase Ada use? And what specific steps or actions can the DoD take in each specific sector?

The Dual-Use Plan

The Dual-Use Program Plan has five majors thrusts:

Increase marketing to promote the use of Ada outside the DoD, using a hard-hitting business case to catch the attention of commercial firms.

Establish partnerships to forge DoD alliances in the academic, government, and industrial sectors, creating ada products that can be shared by both partners.

Provide support and incentives to increase the market appeal of Ada by developing bindings and tools that expand its usability.

Reinforce commitment to provide implementation guidance and training in order to ensure consistent interpretation and application of the Ada mandate within the DoD.

Maintain current AJPO activities to continue support for ongoing AJPO tasks aimed at developing the Ada 9X standard and supporting the existing user base.

Those interested can get a copy of the Ada Dual-Use Plan, along with additional data on the Ada Dual-Use Program, by calling the Ada Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-AdaIC-11 (232-4211).


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