Ptolemy: A Mixed-Paradigm Simulation/Prototyping Platform in C++
Joseph Buck, Soonhoi Ha, Edward A. Lee, and David G. MesserschmittDept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 September 6, 1991
Prepublished version |
Published version td> |
ABSTRACT
Ptolemy is a flexible and extensible platform for simulations, rapid prototyping, and other software systems. It is our third generation software environment, building on our experience with Blosim, a signal processing simulation system, and Gabriel, a prototyping environment for real-time signal processing. Unlike its predecessors, Ptolemy does not enforce a single simula-tion or execution model; it supports mixed hardware and software designs, mixed-mode system descriptions, and mixed prototyping methodologies.The objectives, design, current status, and future directions of the Ptolemy project are summarized in this paper. The use of certain features of the C++ language to make it easier to design a flexible, extensible system is discussed. We also describe our experiences in developing a 150K line (and growing) system in C++, discussing what worked well, what didn't and lessons learned.