CONVERSIM: a teaching simulation language incorporating a conversational model builder

  • Authors:

  • Paul F. Roth;Robert Brown

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Bi-County Center for Engineering, University of South Florida at Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida;Computer Science Corporation, 4001 Oak Manor Office Park, King George, Virginia

  • Venue:
  • WSC '88 Proceedings of the 20th conference on Winter simulation
  • Year:
  • 1988

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Abstract

This paper describes the CONVERSIM simulation language. CONVERSIM is a developmental general-purpose, discrete-event language which has been used in the classroom to introduce the use and operation of simulators prior to the introduction of languages such as GPSS and SIMSCRIPT.The distinctive innovation of CONVERSIM is that model building is implemented by a conversational query language which interacts with the modeler in English questions with prompted, symbolic answers, thus imparting no language jargon or bias, other than such “neutral” terminology as would be used in describing queuing models. The CONVERSIM “world view” is transaction-oriented.With a modest repertoire of modeling options, CONVERSIM has been found in the classroom to be an asset in illustrating the performance of queuing models and networks, prior to the immersion of the student in the intricacies of standard simulation languages and their various idiosyncrasies. The query system is of sufficient completeness to enable the student to completely describe basic models without the use of a reference manual or other written documentation.CONVERSIM is written in Pascal to be hosted by a wide variety of DOS-based microcomputers.