Would you like then to create the combined proposal yourself?
This is the stand proposal that we created in the past in case that helps (though I would keep it short and sweet)
AdaBots is a FOSS tool for teaching the next generation of programmers, using Ada - a modern, readable, general-purpose programming language offering unparalleled safety with its extremely strong typing. Anyone who can read and type can learn to make bots move around, dig and build in a 3D world using the open source software stack presented here. Come to the stand and solve some problems interactively with us!
The plan is to have a few laptops with AdaBots up and running on them, and have visitors write programs and watch them run. Then we can get started discussing the unique features Ada has to offer as a programming language.
In addition, the Ada programming language will be showcased.
Ada is a general-purpose programming language originally designed for safety- and mission-critical software engineering. It is used extensively in air traffic control, rail transportation, aerospace, nuclear, financial services, medical devices, etc. It is also perfectly suited for open source development.
Awareness of safety and security issues in software systems is increasing. Multi-core platforms are now abundant. These are some of the reasons that the Ada programming language and technology attracts more and more attention, among others due to Ada’s support for programming by contract and for multi-core targets. The latest Ada language definition was updated and approved unanimously earlier this year, and the Ada 2022 standard is expected to be officially published by ISO later this year. New features include improved support for fine-grained parallelism, and Ada-related technology such as SPARK provides a solution for the most stringent safety and security requirements.
The next generation of programmers should not have to endure the pain that our elders went through; we should be using the most readable, easily understandable programming language available; one that has eliminated all the gotcha’s of previous generation languages. However, learning the language has been quite arduous in the past; AdaBots presents a fun way to first get started with Ada, diving straight past editor-configuration, debugger-setup, and package management, which has been painful until the recent finalization of the Alire package manager, which AdaBots is built with. We feel this is a strong opportunity to connect with the wider libre community, in a way they can interact with Ada/SPARK with some experts around to answer questions, provide materials and explain Ada’s unique features.
We will be doing a joint stand; Tama McGlinn, the author of AdaBots, to focus on showcasing that interactively with visitors, with Fabien Chouteau from AdaCore providing more depth of knowledge about the Ada programming language. We will also be presenting FOSS tools for working with Ada and SPARK, the choices of programming environment available to the modern-day Ada programmer (GNAT Programming Studio, Emacs, (Neo)Vim and VSCode) and some other cool projects. We will also bring in some goodies and merchandise!
Tama McGlinn
- What is the relation between the project and the primary contact?
Tama wrote AdaBots in order to teach his children to program. Being a FOSS enthusiast since childhood, it was time to contribute by making that FOSS software.
Fernando was the coordinator for the Ada DevRoom in FOSDEM 2021. He also took part in different Ada related communities and projects providing help to new users and he would like to see Ada grow even more.
- Please enter a short (10 lines) description of why people should
come to your stand. This will be added to your stand on the overview
website.
Come and play with AdaBots; see how Ada is being used in 2022, and how it could be used to teach the future generation of programmers how to write safe, reliable software. Come to learn some Ada yourself as you try to solve some recursive and 3-dimensional puzzles. Come to program bots, learn why your code doesn’t compile, and why the compiler is really your friend, after all.
2022 marked the standarisation of Ada 2022, the new edition of the language. There are quite a few new exciting features such as fine-grained parallelism. Also, the recommended workflow with Ada is changing thanks to new tools. The stand provides a great opportunity to see these new features, tools and projects in action! We will offer showcases and help to people wanting to setup an Ada development environment. We must also not forget about SPARK, the verifiable and reliable language for the highest quality and safety critical software, which will also be shown and discussed. And, of course, we will also bring a few goodies!
This stand is supported by the Ada community and Ada-Europe.
- Please enter a short (15 lines) overview of all the new things for your project since your last FOSDEM and anything new to expect this year. This will be added to your stand on the overview website.
AdaBots is a new FOSS tool for teaching the next generation of programmers, using Ada - a modern, readable, general-purpose programming language offering unparalleled safety with its extremely strong typing. Anyone who can read and type can learn to make bots move around, dig and build in a 3D world using the open source software stack presented here. Come to the stand and solve some problems interactively with us!
I hope this helps. Best regards,
Fer
And @cunger, I will reply to your email soon, I was waiting for FOSDEM to break the news 