John Barnes
1 Good book for C++'er learning Ada
Man, these Ada books are expensive! But this was 1/2 of most others. The paperback cover is kinda flimsy, but it'll just make me look like a more experienced programmer as it gets doggeard '-)
I'm a long time C++'er but knew nothing about Ada, which 95% of my new job involves. So I needed something to bring me up to speed quickly. I find this book very readable and pretty well organized. The first few chapters teach you the 10% you'll use 90% of the time and the other 90%, if you need it, is covered in depth later in the book. I think those that don't like this book probably don't like Ada (but who does?) because I find this book great, Ada is just a tough language that you just can hack with like C++.
I'm very pleased with this "bargan" book and think it'll be the only Ada book I'll need to buy. Strongly recommend
2 OK, but not for beginners
Like the Ada language itself, I find this book wordy and repetitive, but complete. It really does seem to have full descriptions of all the language features. I'm not sure, because I have to flip to so many different sections to see one feature described, that I really don't know whether I found everything.
This book reads like a standards document, designed by commitee. (If you're never read standards, imagine reading 'War and Peace' by selecting pages in random order.) In the bigger standards, any given component tends to make sense only when you've mastered all other system features, so you understand how that component fits the system as a whole. That means the learning curve includes a jump discontinuity, from zero up to where you've absorbed some critical mass of information. That's what this book is like.
Yes, Ada is a complex language, so a truly brief description is impossible. A better writer knows, though, that brevity (to a point) improves clarity, and that the organization of content is at least as important as the content itself.
The one real strength in this book is the many examples. They are sometimes over-long for the points they make, but seem to demonstrate most of the important language features.
If you already know a few languages including at least one with object orientation, you should be able to hack a trail for yourself through this thicket of information - the author has not paved a clear path for you. If you are a beginning programmer, you're likely to have a hard time of it.
3 This is NOT visual Basic
You must remember that this (Ada95) is a serious language with the niceness of Java and the horse power of C++. John Barnes has writen a truly splendid book on the subject! Don't read this sitting in the bus on the way to work, no, download Aonix ObjectAda the free version (which has look and feel of MS VC++) and work your way through. You will not be disappointed. I am flabergasted that Ada95 has not had more take up than say C++ let alone Java. Java is also a cool language if a triffle slow.
4 very bad
An awful book. I could barely understand anything, as no examples were complete. The object oriented section was incomprehensible at all. I would recommend leaving this book aside and get a real Ada teaching book. ( )
5 The "Bible" for serious Ada users
This should be one of your books if you are really serious about Ada. The author was one of the leaders of the small team that actually designed the Ada language and does a great job of presenting the essentials of the language in a easy to read format. While more complete examples would have helped, this is still the book you want to have on your desk when creating an Ada program. It should not, however, be the only book. Ada is a complex and beautiful language - it helps to see it from more than one view. Many reviewers of this book who gave it a poor score appear to be students or people who don't like the language in any case. If you don't see the value of learning Ada, no book will help that much. Some reviewers could not even spell the language (i.e. it is Ada, named after Ada Lovelace Byron, not ADA as in the American Dental Association). Ada is not as highly used as some other languages but is still a very popular language in certain segments and can provide a rewarding career for the serious student. I have been steadily employed for over 10 years using only Ada and have no trouble making a six figure income. I certainly don't see Ada as a 'dead language'!
6 not good no examples
There were no complete examples, I could not understand anything. Ada must be very hard, it is impossible to learn anything from the book.
7 not good no examples
There were no complete examples, I could not understand anything. Ada must be very hard, it is impossible to learn anything from the book.
8 Excellent Book for Ada95
This is an excellent book. It looks like most of the people who didn't like this book are more biased against the Ada language. I come from a C++ and Java background and this book made me change to Ada95. Also, Ada is NOT a dead language. It is being extensively used in my company and the companies we are in contract with. Also, I have worked on projects in Ada in a couple of different countries..so it is being used worldwide. It is a dead language to people with a bad knowledge of the facts and who have a tendency to blame their tools more often than not. This book is a must have for all Ada95(The only standardized Object Oriented Language) programmers. It is great book for a great language...no questions asked. Also, people destined to get DeadEnd jobs will get them whether they know Ada or not.
9 It doesn't deserve that many stars.
Ada, a dead language that will get you a dead end job is shown in all it's splendor here. After reading the second chapter you're supposed to be able to write your own business and scientific applications. Yeah right! This book isn't just the worst programming book I've ever seen, but also the worst book I EVER read.
If you REALLY want to learn Ada, use ADA 95: Problem Solving and Program Design by Koffman and Feldman. It teaches you at least.
10 What a mistake...
Before I bought this book I read all the reviews, some were bad, some were good... I decided to listen to the good ones... What a mistake this has been... How can anyone say this is a good book..? It's unreadable! I loaned another book from the library, and now I understand Ada95 much better than before - just by looking at the examples from the other book. Learn from my mistake - DON'T BUY THIS BOOk!
11 Outstanding deep coverage of Ada for intermediate 2 advanced
One (of course, anonymous) reviewer wrote, "How I wishthere were an 'ADA for Idiots' book". Frankly, I find far toomany programming books that attempt to water down a language. John Barnes's book is definitely not one of these. "Programming in Ada95" is one of my all-time favorite programming books, challenging as well as a blast to read. Alas, it was not written for idiots whom are too cowardly to place their names when they malign an outstanding work. If you are a real programmer, you will find this book a treasure even if you are a beginner. You will grow into it over time and you will be a better coder for it. Be brave and dare to be excellent, or find another occupation. By the way, it is Ada, not ADA...
12 This book is clear and concise for beginners or experts.
If you believe all the bad reviews you've read about this book...don't! Anyone who thinks this book is hard to read and should only be used by experienced programmers probably shouldn't even be trusted to tie their own shoes. I didn't know a thing about Ada before buying this book and after reading it I feel I know as much as Mr. Barnes himself. The history of Ada83 and Ada95 - as well as OO programming - is well-organized and top-notch. The sections clearly mark differences between Ada83 and Ada95. It has numerous real-world examples which are helpful for my every day applications. It's also a great progressive learning tool with numerous exercises at the end of each section.
13 Unsuitable for an introduction to Ada 95.
This book was used for an introductory course on Ada 95. Big Mistake! It may be more useful for intermediate students studying the language. The author's use of code fragments does not convey how to code complete programs. I got a better understanding about Ada by examining the completed programs provided on the enclosed CD-ROM, which, by the way, came mostly from the Feldman book. Barnes only provides six complete programs of his own. It is like, "Here are code fragments with obtuse explanations for why they are right or wrong and here are six lengthy complete programs to show how creative I can be".
To make the language more relevant, provide real-world examples. Explaining the machinations of the Ada compiler would be also helpful.
14 This is the worst programming book I have ever read!
This is the worst programming book I have ever read - not only for Ada, but for all programming languages. I can't understand how someone gave this book more than 1 star, let alone 5 stars. Stay away from this book, there are plenty of other GOOD books!
15 The book to have on Ada 95
This is one of the "must have" books on Ada 95. It is thorough and informative with well thought out examples.
16 Good tutorial - as your 2nd+ language
As a newcommer to Ada from previously using C and Pascal I found this book very useful. It is probally not the best book if you do not have some programming experience. It is also a good read because of Barnes British humor!
17 A great learning aid.
I learned Ada 83 years ago with the help of an earlier version of this book. I have recently been continuing this pattern with Ada 95. Mr. Barnes does a great job explaining the subject matter, without getting bogged down in minutiae. The code examples and exercises are also quite helpful. I highly recommend this book.
18 not a 'for dummys' book but excellent after that
A great book to deepen your knowledge on Ada95. I would recommend to start learning Ada95 with another book but after doing your first steps this one will be a great help in improving your Ada skills
19 Outstanding book for Ada practitioners.
This is truly a classic in its field. I have read the negative reviews and note that they seem to come from unhappy students. Such readers would be best directed to an appropriate student textbook such as Feldman & Kaufman, also available on amazon.com.
Professional software developers should own this book.
20 Excellent book for Professionals
If you really want to understand the Rationale behind Ada95, this book is a must read. It is not for beginners in programming, but experienced programmers- even if they don't know Ada - will learn a lot from this book. They will never have the same look at their favourite primary programming language, even if it is already Ada.
21 The most comprehensive Ada95 Book I've read
Although it has a tendency to be dry, it does a very good job of explaining each part of Ada in such a way that it can be understood by the non-ada person.
22 One of the best complete intros to Ada95
John was one of the creators of Ada83 and his books have long been regarded as the "Bibles' of the Ada language. This 2nd edition of Programming in Ada95 is no exception. He covers the entire language in great detail yet avoids many of the 'language lawyer' issues that might confuse the beginning Ada programmer. I have used Ada for about 10 years in avionics and simulation applications and have always recommended John's books to newcommers to Ada and with this new edition, I still do. The inclusion of more complete examples is a welcome addition in this edition also. While there are many good books on Ada available, this one still ranks as one of the best.
23 Highly accessible, complete coverage of Ada 95
John Barnes' book is a very easy to read, complete coverage of a powerful language. The book is intended for those with some knowledge of programming, providing both details and, especially, rationale for the language features.
Explaining the rationale and possible use of language features is, in fact, the best aspect of the book, and has long been a characteristic of Barnes' writing. So many books in this category simply reiterate syntax and semantics; read this book and you will *understand* Ada as well as recognize it.
If you pay attention there is even subtle humor strewn throughout, making an otherwise potentially dry subject a pleasure to read about.
As a long-time Ada developer and a provider of industrial Ada-related courses, I strongly recommend this book to those who have no prior experience with the Ada language. As the owner of over forty books on the subject (including both editions of this one!) I rate this second edition in the top handful of all books concerning the Ada language.
24 Too difficult if you have no previous knowledge of Ada 95
Book to difficult for readers heaving no previous knowledge of Ada 95 - even with some programming experience in other languages such as C++.
25 this is a BAD book!
This is really a terrible book. It is very hard to understand what the author is talking about. There are very few examples, and none of them are complete! I bought this book because it was recommended by my 'programming languages' lecturer - it was a mistake buying it!!! What is most frustrating, is that the Ada doesn't look too difficult - unfortunately, the book makes it difficult.
26 Book is too difficult to read.
The first chapters jump into flash-forwards of features to be explained later. This may make for a good sci-fi novel, but makes a very confusing technical manual. If you are looking for a book that reads well look elsewhere.
27 Lacks organization and fails to accomplish purpose
This book attempts to explain how to program in ADA. Unfortunately, ADA is an unusual and non-intuitive language which has a number of bizarre features. Or so it seems from Barnes' text. This book suffers from incomplete examples, illustrations that don't necessarily run on an actual ADA compiler, and poor selection of examples. In one instance, in a disturbing attempt at explaining the structure of arrays in ADA, the author chooses to use the concept of a PASCAL triangle. Don't ask why. Or how. Or what's the point. After reading this, I invariably ended up using other sources to understand how to create arrays in ADA.
The author proceeds to jump from topic to topic. In one of these jumps, he ends up in OOP (object oriented programming). It's more like OOPS! His definition of OOP is anything but comprehensible.
If I'd wanted a text that was needlessly complicated, I would have stuck with the ADA manual that comes with the compiler. My point in buying a supplemental book was to have a cost-effective way to gain a quick and functional understanding of ADA. Personally, I think it was a waste of my money. It has left me confused and tentative when it comes to having to use ADA.
How I wish there were an "ADA for Idiots" book. Sure would be better than this text, which is nothing more than an "ADA for Those Who Are Already Experts in ADA and Don't Mind So-So English Composition Skills".
28 Excellant Ada Bible
This book is an excellant book for Ada95. It covers almost all subjects on powerful capability of Ada95. I don't want to recommand this book for beginners as a tutorial but no one could deeply understand Ada95 without this book. However, readers may not recognize much important idea if they do not concetrate since the book is lack of well-organized summary. That's the only thing that I am disappointed with.
