Taking cues from Java [discrete simulation]

The article examines how discrete simulation and Java can light up the Web. Any programmer who is competent in Java will find that it is straightforward to develop a Java based discrete event simulation library useful for real work. However, the article only scratches the surface. Java has many other possibilities for extending discrete event simulation. For example, the in-built support can be provided by Java for remote method invocation to support distributed and client/server simulations. The Internet and the intranet protocols are a suitable way of supporting these developments. These present new ways of developing parallel and distributed simulations that do not need expensive, special purpose computer systems. Based on developments in computer supported cooperative work, Wilcox and Pooley discuss how Java can enable simulation users to jointly run simulation models even though they are separated in space and time. There is clearly much more to come.