This software site was actively maintained from 1996-2006. Since 2006 it has been superceded by the following site with a somewhat more narrow focus:
General Software and Toolkits: ACE/ABM/CAS.
R. H. Bordini, M. Dastani, J. Dix, A. El Fallah Seghrouchni (eds.), Multi-Agent Programming:
Languages, Platforms and Applications, Series: Multiagent Systems, Artificial Societies, and
Simulated Organizations, Vol. 15, XXXIV, 296 pp., 2005. ISBN: 0-387-24568-5
(Book Site).
From the Publisher:
"Multi-agent programming is
an essential reference for anyone interested in the most up-to-date developments
in MAS programming. While previous research has focused
on the development of
formal and informal approaches to analyze and specify Multi-Agent
Systems, this book focuses on the development of programming languages
and tools which not only support MAS programming, but also implement
key concepts of MAS in a unified framework.
The book consists of three parts. Part I describes four multi-agent
programming languages that are based on computational logic or process
algebra. These languages are Jason, 3APL, IMPACT, and
CLAIM/SyMPA. Part II presents three multi-agent programming languages
that extend or are based on Java. These programming languages are
JADE, Jadex and JACK. Part III provides two significant industry
specific applications: the DEFACTO System for coordinating human-agent
teams for disaster response, and the ARTIMIS rational dialogue agent
technology. Also featured are seven appendices for quick reference and
comparison."
Bruce Eckel, Thinking in Java, Prentice Hall, NY, 1150
pp., Fourth Edition 2006. ISBN: 0-130-27363-5.
NOTE: Electronic versions of the first three editions of this
excellent book can be accessed free of charge at
https://www.mindview.net/Books/TIJ/
Benjamin Erwin, Creative Projects with LEGO Mindstorms,
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, MA, 336 pp., April 2001. ISBN
0-201-70895-7 (softcover)
From Pearson Education: "Ideas for creative projects using LEGO
Mindstorms brand building tools for young adults and professionals. Includes
a CD-ROM with instructions, color movies, and code examples in RCX code,
ROBOLAB, and Visual Basic. Relates robot design to engineering concepts.
System requirements: CD-ROM drive, 33 Mhz processor, Mac or Windows, 50MB
hard disk space."
Dieter Fensel, James Hendler, Henry Lieberman, and Wolfgang
Wahlster (eds.), foreward by Tim Berners-Lee, Spinning the Semantic
Web: Bringing the World Wide Web to Its Full Potential,
The MIT Press, 392 pp., November 2002. ISBN: 0-262-06232-1
From the publisher: "This first handbook for the Semantic Web
covers, among other topics, software agents that can negotiate and
collect information, markup languages that can tag many more types
of information in a document, and knowledge systems that enable
machines to read Web pages and determine their reliability. The
truly interdiscipinary Semantic Web combines aspects of artificial
intelligence, markup languages, natural language processing,
information retrieval, knowledge representation, intelligent agents,
and databases."
James A. Highsmith III, Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative
Approach to Managing Complex Systems, Dorset House Publishing, N.Y.,
December 1999, ISBN 0-93-263340-4.
From the publisher: "(This book) offers a theory for software
development management that suggests an adaptive culture in which change and
uncertainty are assumed to be the natural state, as opposed to the
conventional belief that optimization is the only solution to increasingly
complex problems. The approach combines customer focus groups, versioning,
time-boxed management, and active prototyping. The book does not provide a
set of prescriptive rules or tasks, but a framework of concepts, practices,
and guidelines."
Christian Jacob, Illustrating Evolutionary Computation with
Mathematica, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 616 pp., February 2001.
ISBN: 1-558-60637-8.
From an amazon.com editorial review by Rob Lightner:
"Living organisms manage to solve all kinds of deviously complex
problems with a natural simplicity that leaves programmers
speechless. Incorporating techniques based on principles elaborated
by Darwin and his intellectual descendents, a new generation of
hackers has tackled hairy challenges with surprising success.
Christian Jacob introduces interested programmers and scientists
to these tools... The basics of biological evolution through mutation
and adaptation are covered quickly before they are adapted
themselves to the purposes of computer-aided problem solving. Jacob
then explores the fundamentals of evolutionary computing through
well-illustrated examples and a good balance of text, formulae, and
code. Genetic algorithms, evolutionary strategies, and finite state
automata each get their share of attention and integration with
Evolvica, Jacob's Mathematica-based genetic programming system. The
system and Web enhancements to the book are available through the
University of Calgary's site and are essential for getting the most
from the text. The last few chapters cover advanced applications
like the classic `hungry ants' programs, cellular automata, and
artificial plant evolution, suggesting further possibilities for this
programming frontier."
George Johnson, A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to the Quantum
Computer, Knopf, 256 pp., February 2003. ISBN: 0-375-41193-3
From Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information,
Inc.): "(This book provides) a quick overview of a cutting-edge union between
quantum theory and computing. The book begins by describing a computer as
`just a box with a bunch of switches.' ... An ordinary computer switch,
binary in nature, registers as either a zero or a one; but if a single atom
were harnessed as a switch, its dual nature as both particle and wave means
it could be `superpositioned,' simultaneously zero and one. A series of such
switches could handle complex calculations much more swiftly than
conventional computers. ... After discussing competing projects that aim to
make (this) theory of quantum computing a reality, the book concludes with
ruminations on the implications of the projects' possible success."
Science writer George Johnson is a recipient of the Science
Journalism Award.
David A. Kendrick, P. Ruben Mercado, and Hans M. Amman, Computational Economics, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 436pp., 2006.
Abstract (From the Publisher): (This book) contains well-known models --- and some brand-new ones --- designed to help students move from verbal to mathematical to computational representations in economic modeling. The authors' focus, however, is not just on solving the models but also on developing the ability to modify them to reflect one's interest and point of view. The result is a book that enables students to be creative in developing models that are relevant to the economic problems of their times. ... The book is intended for use by advanced undergraduates and professional economists and even, as a first exposure to computational economics, for graduate students."
David A. Kendrick is the Yarborough Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, P. Ruben Mercado is Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Hans M. Amman is an executive board member and Professor of Computational Economics and Finance at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Francesco Luna and Benedikt Stefansson (eds.), Economic Simulations in
Swarm: Agent-Based Modelling and Object Oriented Programming, Kluwer
Academic Publishers, Volume 14, Advances in Computational Economics, January
2000, 328 pp., ISBN 0-7923-8665-5
From the authors: "Computer simulations of economic systems are
slowly gaining ground within the economics profession. However, such a
process is hindered by a lack of communication among researchers who do not
share a common language. For its object-oriented structure and its
verstility, Swarm has the necessary characteristics to become a credible
universal language of agent-based simulations. (This book) collects a series
of original articles in such domains as macro and micro economics, industrial
organization, monetary theory, and finance, all linked by a common
denominator: the use of the Swarm simulation platform."
Francesco Luna is with the Universitá Ca' Foscari, Venice,
Italy, and Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.A. Benedikt Stefansson
is with the University of California, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Mario J. Miranda and Paul L. Fackler, Applied Computational Economics
and Finance, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 512 pp., September 2002. ISBN:
0-262-13420-9
From the publisher: "This book presents a variety of computational
methods used to solve dynamic problems in economics and finance. It
emphasizes practical numerical methods rather than mathematical proofs and
focuses on techniques that apply directly to economic analyses. The examples
are drawn from a wide range of subspecialties of econmoics and finance, with
particular emphasis on problems in agricultural and resource economics,
macroeconomics, and finance. The book also provides an extensive Website
library of computer utilities and demonstration programs. ... The book uses
MATLAB to illustrate the algorithms and includes a utilities toolbox to help
readers develop their own computational economics applications."
Mario J. Miranda is a Professor of Agricultural, Environmental, and
Developmental Economics at Ohio State University and Paul L. Fackler is an
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina
State University.
Monty Newborn, Deep Blue: An Artificial Intelligence Milestone,
Springer, 368 pp., 2003. ISBN: 0-387-95461-9.
From the publisher: "This work provides a comprehensive and
authoritative account of the creation, development, and actions of IBM's Deep
Blue technology group and how their computer defeated the world chess
champion. Specialists and nonspecialists in AI and computing will discover a
fascinating story of one of the major technological milestones in the history
of computer science, as well as science in general."
Monty Newborn is at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Matt Weisfeld, The Object-Oriented Thought Process, second Edition, SAMS
Publishing (Division of Macmillan), Indianapolis, Indiana, 2003, ISBN:
0-672-31853-9 (paperback).
Abstract: This book is designed to help newcomers to object-oriented
programming (OOP) to learn guidelines for solid class design, to master the
major concepts of inheritance, composition, interfaces, and abstract classes,
and to create components to use in building more sophisticated systems. The
author motivates and illustrates his points by taking readers step by step
through simple examples with accompanying code.
Matt Weisfeld has more than 18 years of experience as a professional
software developer and project manager using COBOL, Pascal, C, C++,
smalltalk, and Java. He currently teaches Java programming and project
management at Cleveland State University.
tesfatsi AT iastate.edu
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
8. Software and Software Development