[FRIAM] deployable and open source ABMs

[Marcus G. Daniels]

Doug wrote:

 > HPC brings several of Java's performance characteristics into the 
spotlight when considering it as the implementation language for 
distributed memory ABM simulations.

I agree with your reasons.   Another basic disconnect between the HPC 
and Java communities boils down to "What do you know with confidence is 
happening on any given CPU?"  I'll dare say that, overwhelmingly, the 
answer to that question for most Java users is pretty much nothing at 
all.   And [gasp] they *want it that way*.

It's possible to learn about a particular virtual machine so that when 
looking at a low-level or hardware (e.g. VTune) profile it all makes 
sense.  It's possible to study runtime dumps to get a feel for garbage 
collection costs and take steps to reduce them.   It's even possible to 
glue MPI onto a Java program via JNI using GCC's Java native code 
compiler and have `normal' Unix executable.   My claim is that in most 
parts of science-related Java Culture, this is all taboo and basically 
never done.