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From: harrison@necssd.NEC.COM (Mark Harrison)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Software for instruction in algorithms (Help wanted)
Message-ID: <388@necssd.NEC.COM>
Date: 5 Jul 90 14:08:17 GMT
References: <3015@unocss.unomaha.edu>
Organization: NEC America Inc. SSD, Irving, TX
Lines: 80

In article <3015@unocss.unomaha.edu>, deogun@unocss.unomaha.edu (deogun) writes:
 
> I have been wondering if there is any software for simulating other
> algorithms, for example, the minimum path algorithm and other network flow
> algorithms.  If you know of anything like this, I'll appreciate your
> informing me about the source from where I can acquire it.

You might consider the "Algorithm Animator" by Bentley and Kernighan.
It is availible from the Unix System Toolchest.  You can find out
information by dialing 1-201-829-7256 and logging in as "guest".  Here
is the description the toolchest provides:


                                Tool name: anim

                            anim -- Algorithm Animation

                                    Jon Bentley
                                  Brian Kernighan

        anim provides a basic  system  for  algorithm  animation  through  a
        simple  language  that  describes  the  dynamic  display  of  simple
        graphics. The system currently produces animations on 5620  and  630
        terminals  and  workstations  running X11.  The system is so easy to
        use that novice users can animate a program within a few hours.

        The anim package consists of three tools: movie, develop and stills.
        movie  processes  an  input  script language animation file, calling
        develop when necessary, to convert  the  script  language  animation
        file  into  a  form  suitable  for  use by movie. movie displays the
        animation on the terminal.  stills  is  a  troff  preprocessor  that
        converts selected frames into pic(1) commands.  stills allows you to
        include  still  frames  from  your  animation  files  within   troff
        documentation.

        anim graphically represents the dynamic execution of  a  program  or
        algorithm.   For  instance,  a memory allocator can be animated with
        lines that appear when memory is allocated and that  disappear  when
        it is freed; a sort can be animated by a randomly scrambled sequence
        of lines being permuted into order.  Such animations are useful  for
        debugging   programs,   developing  new  programs,  and  graphically
        communicating how programs work.

        An animation is produced by adding print statements  to  a  program.
        Each statement requests that some piece of the animation is drawn or
        erased.  Objects can be lines, boxes, circles, or  text,  positioned
        arbitrarily.   anim  scales  coordinates  so that the display always
        fits the screen.  The display can contain multiple independent views
        that   depict   different  aspects  of  interest;  these  views  are
        completely independent of each other and are scaled separately.

        When movie is used interactively, the viewer can control  the  speed
        of display, proceed forward or backward through time, and change the
        screen layout to emphasize certain views.  It is  also  possible  to
        mark  interesting  points  in  time  and  step  from  event to event
        interactively.  stills permits  the  selection  and  positioning  of
        arbitrary collections of interesting frames and views.

        The system is  described  in  detail  in  "A  System  for  Algorithm
        Animation  -- Tutorial and User Manual," Bell Labs Computing Science
        Tech Report #132, January, 1987.

        Version                    : 1.0
        Price for source           : $    100.00
        Price for sublicensing     : $   1000.00
        Size of source (K bytes)   : 529
        Size of object (on 3B20)   : 201
        Size of docs (K bytes)     : 7
        Language                   : C, sh
        Provider                   : Kernighan, B; Bentley, J
        Machines :
                 3B20; DEC VAX; IBM MAXI/AMDAHL; Sun3
        Operating systems :
                 SVR2, SVR1(5.0), V9; BSD
        Dependencies/Restrictions :
                 nawk (req. by stills), graphic terminal (5620, 630, X11)
-- 
Mark Harrison             harrison@necssd.NEC.COM
(214)518-5050             {necntc, cs.utexas.edu}!necssd!harrison
standard disclaimers apply...