Fall 1996 Spotlight
Ada as a Second Language, 2/e
by Norman H. Cohen
Encyclopedic in scope, this is the second edition of Cohen's detailed presentation of Ada, updated for Ada 95. It is an excellent tutorial introduction and reference to Ada for programmers experienced in another language. It is also useful for those who come from Ada 83 (each chapter ends with a section addressed to users of Ada 83 compilers). Comparisons with C, C+, Cobol, Fortran, and Pascal avoid misconceptions about Ada. The entire language and predefined libraries are covered in 20 chapters and 5 annexes; the index helps to make it a true reference tool, to which one can and will regularly turn. The book contains hundreds of examples and suggests many exercises. The author is a widely known and respected expert in the language; don't miss this book. (1133 pages, 1996)
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Prices & orders: softcover *** ($65.00)

Programming in Ada 95
by John Barnes
This is a new book written by John Barnes in a style similar to his successful "Programming in Ada" (83) book. The author has written major parts of the Ada 95 Rationale (as well as being co-author of the Ada 83 Rationale) and brings his considerable expertise to a complete but pleasant, and at times funny, presentation of Ada 95. The book contains many coding exercises and includes answers in the back. (702 pages, 1996)
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Prices & orders: paperback ** ($44.10)

Ada 95: Problem Solving and Program Design
by Michael Feldman and Elliot Koffman
The first parts of the book cover traditional CS1 topics, while the last chapters cover language mechanisms necessary to a course in algorithms and data structures. The book contains many examples, available in electronic format on the Internet. It is now shipping with a CD-ROM containing a special version of the Aonix ObjectAda compiler for Windows (useable for student projects). (814 pages,1996)
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Prices & orders: paperback+cd-rom *** ($50.52)

Winter 1996-97 Spotlight
Ada 95: The Craft of Object-Oriented Programming
by John English
This book introduces Ada-as-a-first-language, using an example-driven approach that gradually develops small programs into large case studies. Even for one who already knows Ada, it is a pleasure to read, especially as it emphasizes an object-oriented perspective on the development of Ada applications. The reader is quickly introduced to "high-level" mechanisms, such as exception handling and the hierarchical library (interestingly, the author systematically creates his examples in a namespace hierarchy rooted at a package aptly named "JE"). The book is very well-written and appropriately stresses many software engineering concerns throughout the 20 chapters; for instance, maintenance scenarios are used to underscore the essential design choices faced at various stages of development. Four annexes summarize the syntax of the language and essential predefined entities. Tasking is described, but not in detail. (486 pages, 1996)
See also: Ada 95 book reviews
Prices & orders: softcover ** ($38.80)