[FRIAM] ABM - OO

[Marcus G. Daniels]

Alfredo Covaleda V wrote:
> Months ago you had a discussion respect ABMs-OOP and you referred to 
> some suitable languages.  I wonder how appropriate are python and PHP5 
> to make simulations. ¿Are comparable C++, smalltalk, ruby, python and 
> PHP5 ?
The odd one out there is C++, which is isn't dynamically typed like the 
others.   Basically that constraint makes it easier for the compiler to 
optimize for speed but makes the process of modeling more rigid.  
Dynamic typing may be a benefit or a drawback depending on your 
perspective.  If your goal is to test a specific hypothesis, using a 
very specific simulation, you probably won't care about dynamic typing.  
On the other hand, if you are trying to use the computer to poke around 
a space and understand relations intuitively, and incrementally tweak 
rules, you'll probably find it useful.

Btw, today there was a new `Parrot' release, the new dynamic virtual 
machine underlying Perl 6.   One interesting feature of this runtime is 
that the set of `opcodes' is mutable:

http://www.parrotcode.org/faq/
http://www.sidhe.org/~dan/blog/archives/000409.html

Seems like this could be an interesting way to set up an ABM system -- 
actual bytecodes for agent step instructions, etc.

Marcus