A SIMSCRIPT-FORTRAN case study

Two programs for a vehicle dispatching model, one written in 7040 SIMSCRIPT and the other in 7040 FORTRAN IV are compared. The comparison is made in terms of basic program design decisions, storage requirements, computer time used, and the ease of making changes. In the SIMSCRIPT program, the primary design considerations center around the choice of model variables, model changing events, and model testing. In the FORTRAN program, basic design problems relate to the representation of the passage of time, the allocation of storage, and the organization of input data. The comparison of these differently designed programs shows that the SIMSCRIPT program uses more computer storage and more computer time, but requires fewer program changes to introduce model revisions.

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