Form G85-0392
STYL-ORD.HLP

Ada Information Clearinghouse, 1-800/AdaIC-11, 703/685-1477

HOW TO OBTAIN Ada QUALITY AND STYLE:
GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMMERS, VERSION 2.0, 1991

Ada Quality and Style: Guidelines for Professional Programmers, Version 2.0, 
1991 is available for downloading form the AdaIC electronic bulletin board and 
the AJPO host computer.  It is available in hard copy for purchase from the 
Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and National Technical Information 
Service (NTIS).

PAPER COPIES

Defense contractors with DTIC accounts should contact DTIC to order the 
document.  The cost is $11.58.  The DTIC accession number is AD-A242-525:

DTIC
Cameron Station
Alexandria, VA  22314
703/274-7633

Other interested parties should contact NTIS to order a copy.  The cost is 
$26.00 for paper copies and $17.00 for microfiche.  The NTIS accession number 
is ADA 242 525.  

NTIS
US Department of Commerce
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA  22161
703/487-4600


ELECTRONIC COPIES

Ada Quality and Style on the Internet

Ada Quality and Style is available on the AJPO host on the Internet.  The AJPO 
host is accessible only to authorized users of the Defense Data Network and 
other networks that are part of Internet.  The host can be accessed via the 
File Transfer Program (FTP), which allows a user to transfer files to and from 
a remote network host site.  FTP will work for hosts on the Internet, which 
includes DDN and MILNET.  

The remote host with which FTP is to communicate can be specified on the 
command line that invokes FTP. In that case, FTP will immediately attempt to 
connect to the host. Once the connection has been established, FTP enters its 
command interpreter, which is indicated by the ftp> prompt. If FTP is invoked 
without a host argument, it will enter the command interpreter right away. An 
example FTP connection follows. 

[your-prompt] ftp ajpo.sei.cmu.edu        execute ftp from your remote site. 
name: anonymous                           login using "anonymous" 
password: guest                           enter password of "guest" 
ftp> cd public/adastyle                   change to the appropriate directory
ftp> get README [newname.hlp]             get README.hlp" from ftp and copy it 
                                          to "newname.hlp" on your machine.
ftp> mget file1...fileN                   get multiple files from ftp and load 
                                          them onto your machine with the same 
                                          names. 
ftp> bye                                  logout when finished. 


Ada Quality and Style on the AdaIC Bulletin Board

The Ada Information Bulletin Board system can be accessed by dialing 
(Commercial) 703/614-0215 or (Autovon) 224-0215.  Users should set their 
telecommunications package with the following parameters:

      Baud rate = 300 through 9600              Data Bits = 8
      Parity = none                             Stop Bits = 1 

Directory 11 of the bulletin board contains the Ada Style Guide in ASCII and 
Postscript versions -- in compressed and uncompressed format.  Files are 
compressed in order to conserve space on the bulletin board system and to 
reduce the time required to download the file.  The AdaIC uses PKZIP for file 
compression on its files.  Use the PKUNZIP.EXE utility to unarchive the 
compressed files.  PKZ101.EXE is available on the bulletin board.  It is a 
self-extracting program, and gives you the PKUNZIP utility as well as others.



BACKGROUND ON AJPO ENDORSEMENT OF ADA QUALITY AND STYLE:
GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMMERS.


On Aug. 12, the Ada Joint Program Office (AJPO) and the Software Productivity 
Consortium signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at meeting the need of 
the Ada Community and the Department of Defense for a freely available Ada 
style guide.

The AJPO is advising defense and military agencies that Ada Quality and Style: 
Guidelines for Professional Programmers is "the suggested Ada Style Guide for 
use in DoD programs".

The Consortium will provide the AJPO with both hard copy and electronic 
versions of the guidebook for public distribution on AJPO's Ada Information 
Clearinghouse Bulletin Board and on the AJPO host computer on the Defense Data 
Network (DDN).  The Consortium will also update the guide to meet specific 
AJPO requirements, including those in the areas of reuse, portability, and Ada 
9X enhancements.
The memorandum, signed by Dr. John P. Solomond, AJPO Director, and Arthur I. 
Hersh, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium, also noted 
that public meetings, co-sponsored by the AJPO and the Consortium, will be 
scheduled to solicit comments on further updates.

For some time now, there has been discussion in the Ada community and in the 
Department of Defense about the need for a generally accepted Ada style guide.
The need for a style guide arises because, while the Language Reference Manual 
provides a thorough definition of the Ada language, it was not intended to 
provide complete guidance on the appropriate use of Ada's powerful features.

Ada Quality and Style: Guidelines for Professional Programmers was authored by 
the Consortium in 1989; since then, it has become a standard guidebook for Ada 
programming at many organizations.  It offers Ada programmers a set of 
specific guidelines for using the powerful features of Ada in a disciplined 
manner in order to develop Ada code with high degrees of readability, 
portability, and reusability.  (Consortium member company transfer sites 
maintain both hard copy and electronic versions of Ada Quality and Style for 
use by Consortium members.)
The Consortium expects the AJPO recommendation to increase the usage of Ada 
Quality and Style throughout the government and Ada software industry.

Ada Quality and Style is not being made into a standard MIL-HDBK.  Instead, it 
is the AJPO's suggested guide.  Pursuing the option of a suggested guide 
allows a flexibility that might be precluded by a military-standard style 
guide.


It should be understood that, although Ada Quality and Style will be freely 
available for downloading, etc., the Consortium still retains copyrights.  
They have granted permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute copies -- 
but no fee may be charged, and all copies must include the copyright notice 
and the permission notice.

Furthermore, the name Software Productivity Consortium, Inc., cannot be used 
in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the guidelines 
without specific, written prior permission.  And Software Productivity 
Consortium, Inc., makes no representations about the suitability of the 
guidelines for any purpose.  It is provided "as is" without express or implied 
warranty.



