1 July 2005-1 July 2006
SC 22/WG 9 continues to execute its work programme effectively and productively. Its success, though, is jeopardized by arbitrary rules handed down to WG 9 from higher levels of the standardization hierarchy and the inability of those higher levels to execute their own rules. Specific examples include:
Coordination of ISO standards for Programming Language Ada
The Standard was published in 1995 and a Technical Corrigendum was published in 2001. WG9 has determined that the best strategy for updating the standard is to develop an Amendment. SC22 approved the project subdivision in N3310. The Amendment was recently submitted to SC22 for FPDTR ballot concluding prior to the SC22 plenary meeting.
WG9 recommended that the standard should be confirmed in the 2006 systematic review. SC22 endorsed the request at its 2005 plenary meeting. The systematic review is currently in progress.
WG9 recommended that this standard should be confirmed. SC22 endorsed the request in its 2001 plenary meeting. Subsequently JTC1 endorsed the request. Its status is shown on the ISO web site as 90.93 (confirmed).
WG9 recommended the withdrawal of this standard. SC22 endorsed the request in its 2001 plenary meeting. JTC1 originally voted to confirm the standard. At the request of SC22, JTC1 reconsidered its action and has recently voted to withdraw the standard. The withdrawal has not yet been implemented. Instead, the status is shown on the ISO web site as 90.93 (confirmed). (See Section 4.2).
WG9 voted in June 2003 to confirm this standard upon its reaching the five-year review point. SC22 endorsed the request in its 2003 plenary meeting. The Status shown on the ISO web site is 90.93 (confirmed).
WG9 has requested that this Type 3 Technical Report be made freely available on an appropriate web site. The request was approved by SC 22 and JTC 1 and was implemented.
WG9 voted in June 2003 to confirm this standard upon its reaching the five-year review point. SC22 endorsed the request in its 2003 plenary meeting. The status is shown on the ISO web site as 90.93 (confirmed).
A Type 3 Technical Report, ISO/IEC TR 24718, Guide for the use of the Ada Ravenscar Profile in high integrity systems, was completed during 2005. The status shown on the ISO web site is 60.60 (published). Although the normal process was used to approve the report, the document is an adoption of a report developed by the University of York, UK. Both the University of York and the UK National Body have agreed to cooperate with JTC1 if any revisions are made to the report.
On March 7, 2005, JTC 1 recommended that the Technical Report should be made freely available. This has not yet been implemented. (See Section 4.3).
[!] Drafting of the planned amendment to the Ada Language standard, ISO/IEC 8652:1995/Amd 1, is completed. The US National Body contributed the draft and WG9 approved forwarding it to SC22 for balloting. FPDAM ballot is currently underway and is scheduled to complete prior to the plenary. It is the intention of the WG9 convener to perform any necessary comment resolution at the SC22 plenary. (See Section 4.7).
None
22.10.02 -- IS 11430:1994 Generic Package of Elementary Functions for Ada
22.10.03 -- IS 11729:1994 Generic Package of Primitive Functions for Ada
22.31 -- IS 12227:1995 SQL/Ada Module Description Language (SAMeDL)
22.35 -- (Type 2) TR 11735:1996 EXTensions for Real-time Ada
There are two major professional societies in this area: Ada-Europe and the Special Interest Group on Ada (SIGAda) of the Association for Computing Machinery. The semi-annual meetings of WG9 are scheduled to coincide with the major conferences organized by these two groups. Officials of both organizations are active participants in the work of WG9. Both groups have the status of Category C liaison with WG9.
There is one major vendor consortium, the Ada Resource Association (ARA). Informal liaison with ARA is maintained via the US TAG.
[!] As requested by SC22, WG9 has designated a liaison to SC22/OWGV, Erhard Ploedereder of Germany, and has invited OWGV to colocate meetings with WG9.
Although support for Ada has declined in the US defense sector, Ada remains the language of choice for major parts of the real-time, embedded systems community. Ada usage in other sectors of the marketplace seems to be stable. The locus of Ada usage is perceptibly shifting from North America to Europe. There is demand for minor improvements while retaining the stability of the existing language. This motivated WG9 to update the language standard by means of an Amendment rather than a Revision.
National body participation in WG9 has grown and is now stable. There has been long-time participation from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, UK, and US.
Implementation of the Category C Liaisons with Ada-Europe and SIGAda has broadened the base of technical review and support for language standardization.
All new work item suggestions are screened by the requirement for active support from five national bodies. This has worked well, resulting in explicit commitments from national bodies supporting a possible project.
WG9 uses Rapporteur Groups to perform the drafting of its technical documents. This allows WG9 itself to meet only twice per year--for approximately one-half-day at each meeting. When appropriate, WG9 delegates initial drafting to national bodies working with Rapporteur Groups. (For example, the US contributed the draft of the planned amendment to ISO/IEC 8652.)
(Not applicable)
Nine national bodies regularly participate in the work of WG9; eight of them regularly attend meetings. Each of the nine NBs typically votes at the WG9 level. Those that are P-members of SC22 typically vote at that level.
The following deliverables are anticipated during the next 12 months:
Routine, but efficient, processing will suffice to achieve our goals. We delegate technical work to Rapporteur Groups. We collaborate with professional societies via liaison relationships. We achieve full consensus within the working group prior to initiating formal balloting.
Unexpected technical comment at the SC22 level has the potential to delay the work of WG9. WG9 mitigates this risk by providing mechanisms for full treatment of NB technical concerns at the RG and WG level. Although we observe all requirements of the directives, we view SC22 and JTC1 level balloting as approval of documents that have already been completed.
[!] The inability of SC22 to attain a quorum for its letter ballots has now emerged as the largest single risk for the progress to the work programme of WG9. The inability of ITTF to implement public availability of authorized documents and withdrawal of obsolete standards is a continuing problem.
National body participation in WG9 has recently grown and is now stable.
[!] Now that 8652 Amd 1 has entered subcommittee balloting, the emphasis of WG9 will shift toward the revision of ISO/IEC 15291. Our priorities are as follows:
The term of the current convener ends with the plenary meeting. SC22 is requested to take action to appoint or re-appoint a convener.
WG9 has recommended the withdrawal of ISO/IEC 13814. Both SC22 and JTC1 have endorsed the request. (See JTC 1 N 7451.) However, the request has not been implemented. Instead, its status is shown on the ISO web site as 90.93 (confirmed). WG9 requests that the SC22 Secretariat take whatever steps are necessary to effect the implementation of the request to withdraw the standard.
On March 7, 2005, JTC1 recommended that this Technical Report should be made freely available. This has not yet been implemented. The document satisfies criterion (2) of the authorized criteria (See JTC 1 N 7269). WG9 requests that the SC22 Secretariat take whatever steps are necessary to effect free availability of the Technical Report.
[WG9 Resolution 50-9] Noting the current systematic review of ISO/IEC 14519 and the absence of any working group responsible for maintenance of the standard, SC22/WG9 recommends to SC22 that the standard should be confirmed in the current review and states its willingness to accept the editorial responsibility for the standard. It offers the services of Steve Michell (Canada) to serve as project editor, subject to national body confirmation.
WG9 has requested its convener to convey a concern to SC7, to SC22, and to OWG:Vulnerability that modeling languages and automatic code generation are not treated by the current terms of reference of OWG:Vulnerability and SC22 itself. It is suggested that JTC1 work on modeling languages and automatic code generation should be transferred to SC22. (I have been advised that SC22's liaison representative to SC7 will consider this item in his report.)
WG9 requests that SC22 add an item to its programme of work for the revision of ISO/IEC 15291. As is the custom, WG9 has filled out the NP form outlining the terms for the revision (SC22 N4077). WG9 requests that the revision be authorized by vote of the plenary meeting in accordance with 15.1.1 and 6.2.1.5 of the JTC1 Directives.
FPDAM ballot (SC22 N4051) ends shortly before the SC22 plenary. If there are comments to be dispositioned, the WG9 convener intends to conduct ballot resolution meeting as an item on the agenda of the SC22 plenary meeting. (See SC22 N4074.) All national bodies offering comments should plan to be represented at that meeting.
WG9 has two Category C liaison relationships.
[Quoted from WG9 N407, 6 June 2002, Request for Establishment
of Category C Liaison between ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 22/WG 9 and the
Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on
Ada (SIGAda)]
SIGAda is a Special Interest Group of the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM). Its 80,000 members make ACM one of the world's
premier technical professional organizations related to computing.
With over 560 paid members and access to an additional 900 members of the Ada community, SIGAda is one of the world's largest organizations serving the needs of professionals interested in the Ada language. SIGAda is a powerful resource for the software community's ongoing technical and scientific activities concerning the usage, education, standardization, and implementations of the Ada language and related Ada technologies. Its annual international conference is a major event, not only for Ada specialists, but also for all enthusiasts in modern software topics such as software engineering, process improvement, CASE, object-oriented methods, and software education. It publishes a quarterly journal providing news and technical articles important to the Ada community.
In the past, SIGAda members have played an important, but individual, role in the standardization work of SC22/WG9. For example, ISO/IEC 15291 is largely based upon technical material originally developed by individuals acting under the auspices of SIGAda. SIGAda has also played an important role for Ada language improvements in the areas of performance, real-time, numerics, and distribution.
[Quoted from WG9 N402, 23 May 2002, Request for Establishment of Category C Liaison between ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 22/WG 9 and Ada-Europe]
Ada-Europe is an international organization, set up to promote the use of Ada. It aims to spread the use and the knowledge of Ada and to promote its introduction into academic and research establishments. Above all, Ada-Europe intends to represent European interests in Ada and Ada-related matters.
In its current form, Ada-Europe was established in 1988. As there is no European legal framework to govern such organizations, it was established according to Belgian Law. Currently, the member organizations are: Ada-Belgium, Ada-Denmark, Ada-Deutschland, Ada-France, Ada-Spain, Ada in Sweden, Ada in Switzerland and Ada UK. Individual members of these organizations can become indirect members of Ada-Europe. Direct membership is available to individuals in countries without national member organization. At the moment, Ada-Europe has about 350 indirect members.
The best-known of Ada-Europe's activities is its annual conference, now in its 22nd year, which provides the European forum for researchers and users of Ada and other technologies geared towards reliable systems. Ada-Europe publishes the Ada User Journal to keep its members and others abreast of the latest developments related to Ada.
In the past, Ada-Europe members have played an important, but individual, role in the standardization work of SC22/WG9. For example, ISO/IEC 18009 incorporates technical material provided by Ada-Europe members.