Programming language · 1980

Ada

Programming language.

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Ada logo
AdaWritten in
1980First released
U.S. Department of DefenseDeveloper
staticTyping
Built fromInfluenced Ada AdaPascalCPythonJavaNimEiffel
CompilerInfluence

What is Ada written in?

The Ada compiler is written in Ada (documented). Ada is self-hosting.

What Ada is used for

Ada is built for safety-critical, real-time systems where failure is not an option: avionics, defense, rail signaling, and spacecraft. Its strong typing and runtime checks catch errors early.

Notable use: aircraft flight software (Boeing, Airbus), air-traffic control, and rail and defense systems.

Quick Facts

Designed by
Jean Ichbiah and S. Tucker Taft
First released
1980
Typing
static
Website
adaic.org

About Ada

Ada is a programming language. It is a statically typed language that compiles ahead of time to native machine code. It supports imperative and object-oriented programming.

Ada first appeared in 1980 and was designed by Jean Ichbiah and S. Tucker Taft at U.S. Department of Defense.

How Ada is implemented

In the Language Lineage dataset, Ada is self-hosting, so its own compiler is written in Ada itself. Reaching self-hosting, where a language is mature enough to compile itself, is a milestone that proves the language can handle a large, real-world program.

Ada in the language family tree

Ada drew on ideas from Pascal and C and went on to influence Python, Java, Nim, and Eiffel.

Sources: Wikipedia · Wikidata · Official site

Frequently Asked Questions

What language is Ada written in?
Ada is primarily implemented in Ada. See the implementation section above for details and source references.
What languages influenced Ada?
Ada was influenced by Pascal, C among others. See the influence section above for the full list.
Which languages did Ada influence?
Ada influenced Python, Java, Nim among others.
Is Ada self-hosting?
Yes, Ada is self-hosting, its compiler can compile itself.
When was Ada first released?
Ada was first released in 1980. It was designed by Jean Ichbiah and S. Tucker Taft.

Evidence Sources

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