Is any software worth over $25 Billion? Not anymore, according to Defense Department experts. In 1974 the U.S. Department of Defense had spent that amount on all kinds of software for a hodge podge of languages for its needs. The answer to this problen turned out to be a new language called ADA - named for Countess Ada Augusta Lovelace, "first programmer". Sponsored by the Pentagon, ADA was originally intended to be a standard language for weapons system, but it has also been used successfully for commercial applications. Introduced in 1980, ADA has the support not only of the Defense establishment but also of such industry heavy weights as IBM and INTEL, and ADA is even available for some personal computers. Although some experts have said ADA is too complex, others say that it is easy to learn and that it will increase productivity. Indeed, some experts believe that it is by far a superior commercial language to such standbys as COBOL and FORTRAN.
Widespread use of ADA is considered unlikely by many experts. Although there are many reasons for this (the Military Services, for instance, have different levels of enthisiasm for it), probably its size - which may hinder its use on personal computers - and complexity are the greatest barriers. Although the Department of Defense is a market in itself, ADA has not caught on to the extent that Pascal and C have, especially in the business community.