Imbedding GPSS in a general purpose programming language
Jerrold Rubin · NCSU Libraries Repository (North Carolina State University Libraries) · 1981
GPSS has proven to be an excellent simulation language, but was not designed to perform the logical and computational tasks of a programming language. Strategies for improvement can take one of two paths: building adequate analytic constructs into the existing GPSS language, or building GPSS-like constructs into an existing general purpose programming language. The second choice can be made easier by use of a language-building utility program to translate simulation constructs into the selected programming language. It is also simplified by the fact that some GPSS statements (such as input-output and control) may be dropped, since any good programming language will provide native facilities for these functions. Such a fusion between the constructs of a good simulation language, and those of a good programming language, provides a far more flexible system than either alone. This paper discusses PL/I GPSS, an implementation of GPSS in a PL/I environment which uses PL/I variables as transaction variables and permits use of general PL/I expressions for most GPSS statement parameters.