The Howdy Glossary

Ada is an advanced and modern programming language designed for large and long-lived applications, originally developed for defense systems but now used in commercial settings. Named after Ada Lovelace, it promotes safe and secure software development while maintaining high performance through features like strong typing, run-time checking, modularity mechanisms (packages), generics, and exception handling. Created by Jean Ichbiah's team at CII Honeywell Bull in the late 1970s and early 1980s under a U.S. Department of Defense contract, Ada helps prevent common defects during compile time rather than runtime.

Ada offers unique features such as strong typing to enhance code readability and robustness by enforcing strict type checks at compile time. Run-time checking validates code behavior in real-time to detect errors early on. Modularity mechanisms like packages improve code organization and reusability for maintaining large-scale applications. Generics enable writing algorithms that operate on various data types without sacrificing type safety. Its structured exception handling mechanism enhances program reliability by managing errors effectively.

Competing with languages such as C++, Java, and C#, Ada stands out due to its focus on safety-critical systems with robust features aiming at preventing defects during compile time. While competitors offer flexibility, platform independence, or integration benefits—C++ being flexible and efficient, Java popular for enterprise applications due to platform independence, C# commonly used on Microsoft platforms—Ada’s design emphasizes precision in fault tolerance making it ideal for projects demanding high reliability in sectors like defense, aerospace, transportation, healthcare where stringent safety standards are essential.