The case for Ada at the USAF academy

Abstract

This paper describes our experience with selecting Ada as the primary programming language for Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors at the USAF Academy. We have decided to teach Ada in the first three courses of these majors for the next few years. Our criteria for selecting Ada are based on features of the language (such as strong typing, lack of single-character errors, and case insensitivity), features of the compiler, (such as error messages and warnings), and features of the overall development experience (such as development environments, availability of textbooks, GUI development support, and industry acceptance). We compared Ada with Java, C++, and C#.

IRONSIDES: DNS with no single-packet denial of service or remote code execution vulnerabilities

“…SPARK is a fairly mature technology and has been used on several projects [11], [12], [13]. Accordingly, given our prior institutional experience with Ada [14], we chose SPARK and Ada as the platform for constructing DNS software that would not be subject to most of the vulnerabilities that afflict DNS implementations currently deployed around the globe.…”

A First Course in Software Engineering for Aerospace Engineers

“…This teaching mass has since declined as Ada is no longer mandated by the US Department of Defense as the programming language of choice for developing software. However, there have been sustained efforts at the USAFA to continue to use Ada as the introductory programming language [13].…”