The Ada 2005 Reference Manual combines the International Standard ISO/IEC 8652/1995(E) for the programming language Ada with the corrections of the Technical Corrigendum 1 approved by ISO in February 2001 and with the Amendment 1 expected to be approved by ISO in late 2006 or early 2007. Both the Technical Corrigendum 1 and the Amendment 1 list only the changes made to the International Standard.

The Ada 2012 Reference Manual is an enhanced version of the text of International Standard ISO/IEC 8652/2012(E) for the programming language Ada. The Ada 2012 Reference Manual combines all of the previous corrections of Technical Corrigendum 1 and Amendment 1 with changes and additions that improve the capabilities of the language and the reliability of programs written in the language. The Ada 2012 Reference Manual will replace the former versions as an indispensable working companion for anybody using Ada professionally or learning and studying the language systematically.

Ada is the programming language of choice for high integrity software systems and is used extensively in industries such as transportation and aerospace. Special features of the book include: Object-oriented programming, concurrency, and embedded and real-time systems are emphasized. Ada for Software Engineers explains the language concepts and the terminology of the standards document, the Ada Reference Manual (ARM). Extracts from the ARM are used throughtout and there are extensive cross references to the ARM. A comprehensive glossary and technical quizzes assist the reader in developing the ability to use the ARM as a practical reference. Comparisons with familiar languages like C and Java are given to facilitate the transition to Ada. The features of Ada 2005 are used routinely, but they are carefully identified, so that programmers using Ada 95 will also find the textbook useful. The companion website contains the full source code of nearly 100 case studies and 100 technical quizzes.

Ada 2005 is the latest version of the International Standard for the programming language Ada. Formally, it is an Amendment of ISO/IEC 8652:1995 (E) rather than a completely new standard. The primary goals for the new version were to enhance its capabilities particularly in those areas where its reliability and predictability are of great value. Accordingly, a number of intriguing and attractive ideas have been included and implemented in a coherent manner as appropriate to the level of perfection necessary for the diligent maintenance of a language standard. The Ada 2005 Rationale describes not only the changes from Ada 95 but also the reason for the changes. It starts with an introduction providing a general overview and this is followed by seven chapters focusing on OOP; access types; structure and visibility; tasking and real time; exceptions, generics, etc.; the predefined library; and containers. The book concludes with an epilogue largely concerned with compatibility issues.

This Ada 95 Reference Manual is essentially identical to the new International Standard ISO/IEC 8652:1995(E) for the Ada programming language. The thorough technical revisions and extensions documented in this manual are built on broad participation from the international Ada community and generous support by leading institutions. Over 750 submitted revision requests were evaluated, and the resulting enhancements make Ada 95 an outstanding language. The flexibility of languages such as C++, modern features such as object orientation, and improved interfacing capabilities have been added to the reliable software engineering capabilities provided and proven for over a decade by the predecessor version Ada 83; furthermore, upward compatibility from Ada 83 to Ada 95 has been achieved.

The LNCS series reports state-of-the-art results in computer science research, development, and education, at a high level and in both printed and electronic form. Enjoying tight cooperation with the R&D community, with numerous individuals, as well as with prestigious organizations and societies, LNCS has grown into the most comprehensive computer science research forum available. The scope of LNCS, including its subseries LNAI and LNBI, spans the whole range of computer science and information technology including interdisciplinary topics in a variety of application fields. In parallel to the printed book, each new volume is published electronically in LNCS Online.

th The 13 edition of the International Conference on Reliable Software Technologies (Ada-Europe 2008) marked its arrival in Italy by selecting the splendid venue of Venice. It did so after having been hosted twice in Switzerland, Spain and the UK (Montreux for its inauguration in 1996 and Geneva in 2007; Santander in 1999 and Palma de Mallorca in 2004; London in 1997 and York in 2005), and having visited Sweden (Uppsala, 1998), Germany (Potsdam, 2000), Belgium (Leuven, 2001), Austria (Vienna, 2002), France (Toulouse, 2003) and Portugal (Porto, 2006). It was certainly high time that the conference came to Italy! The conference series, which is run and sponsored by Ada-Europe, chooses its yearly venue following two driving criteria: to celebrate the activity of one of its national member societies in a particular country, and/or to facilitate the formation, or the growth, of a national community around all aspects of reliable software technologies. The success of this year’s conference, beside the richness of its technical and social program, will thus be measured by its lasting effects. We can only hope that the latter will be as good and vast as the former! Owing to the absence of a national society associated with Ada-Europe in Italy, the organization of the conference was technically sustained by selected members of the Board of Ada-Europe, its governing body, with some invaluable local support.