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Open source? -> Need to read source to model?
From: |
James Odell |
Subject: |
Open source? -> Need to read source to model? |
Date: |
Mon, 17 Jan 2000 19:41:53 -0500 |
Rick Riolo writes:
>If I recall correctly, one of the original ideas behind
>Swarm was to come up with a system that would make it
>easier for biologists, economists, anthropologists, political
>scientists, etc, to do experiments with agent-based models.
>Part of the idea was that these people are not
>professional computer programmers, and never will be, and
>to the extent they have to get in and get dirty with source
>codes is a mis-use of their comparative advantage,
>ie., they are spending time 'programming' (in the broad
>sense of that activity, which includes reading complex source
>codes) instead of being biologists, economists or whatever.
[snip]
I agree with Rick. In most business applications, business
experts are not good programmers and good programmers do not
usually understand the business very well. Instead of spending
years cross-training business experts to be good programmers (or
visa-versa), perhaps these experts can express their
requirements--and even develop basic designs--using graphical and
"natural" language models. Then, with these models in place, the
programmers can write the code--returning again to the expert to
test the application.
For the last 20 years, I have found that this approach
works well with standard IT applications if I have the right
modeling tools: i.e., those modelling languages that can
adequately express the expert's requirements in a way that is
readily understood by the expert. Now, in the CAS and agent
application world, I am finding similar results. Business
experts can and are expressing their required systems in
agent-based models--without "getting in and getting dirty with
source
code." Programmers are taking these models and writing Swarm
code. The resulting simulation is then tested with the expert.
So my conclusion? IMO, Swarm programming skills are both
required and not required depending on project role; i.e., when:
1) The business expert is using the agent-based modelling
techniques that adequately express her/his requirements, and
2) the programmer can turn these models into running simulations
that correctly reflect the expert's requirements.
Does this make sense?
Jim Odell
www.jamesodell.com
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- Re: Classifier Systems, (continued)
Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?, David O'Sullivan, 2000/01/17
Open source? -> Need to read source to model?,
James Odell <=
- Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?, Marcus G. Daniels, 2000/01/17
- Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?, Darren Schreiber, 2000/01/18
- Swarm by example (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?), glen e. p. ropella, 2000/01/18
- Re: Swarm by example (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?), Joseph & Kathleen Villa, 2000/01/18
- Re: Swarm by example, Darren Schreiber, 2000/01/18
- Re: Swarm by example, Marcus G. Daniels, 2000/01/18
- Swarm Example project (Re: Swarm by example (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source tomodel?), Paul Johnson, 2000/01/19
- Re: Swarm Example project (Re: Swarm by example (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source tomodel?), glen e. p. ropella, 2000/01/19
Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?, Benedikt Stefansson, 2000/01/18
Systems Engineering (was Re: Open source? -> Need to read source to model?), glen e. p. ropella, 2000/01/19