SE450:G1

We are to evaluate this Visual Language - https://www.se.auckland.ac.nz/courses/SOFTENG450/resources/vlpapers/AgentsheetsVL93.pdf The password and username were provided in the first lecture.

Evaluation

Strengths

• Regularity - keeps things tidy
• Relational Transparency - helps understanding of spacial relationships
• Standardizes a common understanding between the human user and the computer as discrete positions on a grid will reduce the chance of errors from mismatching
• Domain independent
• Use of iconic graphical depictors - champion over pixel based representations Zlee003
• Programmability of agents on reaction to behaviours Zlee003
• Programmability of agent's behavious Zlee003
• Can be used to illustrate semantics of flow Zlee003
• Ability to animate agents Zlee003
• Support for tactile programming using Visual AgenTalk (See http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/3/3/forum/1.html)
  • Even kids can build their own social environment simulations Zlee003
• Can be used as a learning tool and collaboration tool Zlee003

Weaknesses

• Tailoring the visual programming system to the application-domain can be more intimidating and cumbersome for more complex applications. Fig 2's example of circuits is a relatively simple one. Syan055
• (From the looks of it) two-dimensional, would need a three-dimensional workspace for some applications that require more than just stacking agents in the same cell. Syan055
• With gui designing tools galore, it may as well pay off to just program something directly in other high-level languages IF the tailoring process is highly sophisticated.
• Adjacency could imply non-existent relationships between components
• Could be over-generalized.
• Can get messy for highly asynchronous illustrations
• Based on Lisp - not as common as other languages like Java, C, C++ etc

=== Cognitive dimensions === zshe004

• 1. gradient: yes, abstraction can be made - (level low, manually),
• 2. closeness of mapping: easy
• 3. diffuseness: very easy, user can define
• 4. error-proneness: low, the spatial and temporal metaphors are clear
• 5. hard mental operations: low, relatively easy
• 6. hidden dependencies: low, clear
• 7. premature commitment: no
• 8. progressive evaluation: yes, can do
• 9. role-expressivemess: yes
• 10. secondary notation: yse
• 11. viscosity: low to moderate
• 12. visibility: yes.
• 13. availability: low, platform restriction: only on Machintosh and SPARC Station

Other Literature

• AgentSheets: End-User Programmable Simulations Zlee003
• [15] in biblio! File:Repenning-PhD.pdfSyan055
• [14] in biblio! File:Creating User interfaces with agentsheets.pdf

Presentation

• Download the presentation

Presenter

• Daniel

Domain

• Domain-independent
• Style of abstraction

To Do: Figures needed

Audience

• Visual language tool for both developers and unexperienced end users of the end product
  • Eg. Phone system
  • Eg. Circuit Simulator
  • Eg. Water-flow simulator
  • Eg. Ecology Simulations

Metaphors

• Spacial metaphor
  • Grid-layout
  • Like a map
  • Relative position
• Temporal metaphor
• Shows change over time

Effectiveness

• No figures presented in the paper. We need more literature! Zlee003
• 3D?
• SimCity
• To Do: everyone to look for examples of grid based languages (1 eg each)
  • Grab Richard's slides about map versus text based directions
• To contrast with freeform languages like raw sketching tools
• Comparison against a spreadsheet