ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the characteristics of common simulation languages and provides the analyst with the criteria for choosing a suitable language. There are basically two types of languages used in simulation: multipurpose languages and special-purpose languages. The former are compiler languages, the latter are interpretive languages. The chapter introduces and provides basic insight into the basic features of six of the more commonly used special-purpose, discrete simulation languages. The languages are GPSS, SIMSCRIPT, GASP, SIMULA, SLAM, and RESQ. The chapter aims to introduce the basic instructions and provide a flavor of the languages. In addition to these languages, there are several others of note. SIMAN was written by Dennis Pegden and introduced in 1983. It is a combined discrete continuous simulation language based on FORTRAN for modeling general systems with special features for manufacturing systems.
