Simulator - Revision history

Jnc: Make example more prominent

2025-07-25T09:42:41Z

Make example more prominent

Jnc: Add some links

2024-12-24T14:23:23Z

Add some links

Jnc: typo

2024-06-27T13:30:46Z

typo

Jnc: /* External links */ +1 PDP11 on ITS

2021-04-14T13:05:03Z

‎External links: +1 PDP11 on ITS

Jnc: +cat

2018-12-15T23:43:18Z

+cat

Jnc: Note confusion with emulator

2017-10-27T22:22:01Z

Note confusion with emulator

Jnc: typo

2017-10-23T16:52:03Z

typo

Jnc: internal vs external

2017-10-23T16:50:17Z

internal vs external

Jnc: A decent start

2017-10-23T12:53:16Z

A decent start

New page

A '''simlator''' is a program which emulates a particular kind of computer; it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to emulate what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.

Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs.

More recently, simulators have become popular with people interested in older computers. The hardware for machines such as the [[IBM 7094]] (which ran the [[CTSS]] operating system), the [[Honeywell 6000 series‎‎|Honeywell 6180]] (which ran [[Multics]]) and the [[PDP-10]] (which ran [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]) is either gone completely, or extremely rare. So, for people who wise to experience one of these historic and influential older systems, a simulator is the answer.

Ironically, a simulator running on modern hardware is often considerably faster than the actual machine it is emulating, so fast has been the progress in hardware.

One notable simulator is [[SIMH]], which has modules to simulate many different kinds of older computers.

==See also==

* [[Ersatz-11]]
* [[Emulator]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-There is some confusion, and no general agreement, about the precise difference between the terms '''simulator''' and [[emulator]]. A simulator is generally a device (often a program) which re-creates the workings of a particular kind of device, often a computer.
+There is some confusion, and no general agreement, about the precise difference between the terms '''simulator''' and [[emulator]]. A simulator is generally a device (often a program) which re-creates the ''interal'' workings of a particular kind of device, often a computer.
 Simulators often have an emphasis on duplicating exactly the internal operation of the device being simulated, but not so much on the emulating the device's external 'appearance'; e.g. the [[SPICE]] [[analog]] [[circuit]] simulator merely simulates the operation of the circuits.
-Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs.
+Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs. For these, they read a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processed it to mimic what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.
 More recently, simulators have become popular with people interested in older computers. The hardware for machines such as the [[IBM 7094]] (which ran the [[CTSS]] operating system), the [[Honeywell 6000 series‎‎|Honeywell 6180]] (which ran [[Multics]]) and the [[PDP-10]] (which ran [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]) is either gone completely, or extremely rare. So, for people who wish to experience one of these historic and influential older systems, a simulator is the answer.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 For the latter, it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to mimic what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.
-Simulators often have an emphasis on duplicating exactly the internal operation of the device being simulated, but not so much on the emulating the device's external 'appearance'; e.g. the [[SPICE]] analog circuit simulator merely simulates the operation of the circuits.
+Simulators often have an emphasis on duplicating exactly the internal operation of the device being simulated, but not so much on the emulating the device's external 'appearance'; e.g. the [[SPICE]] [[analog]] [[circuit]] simulator merely simulates the operation of the circuits.
 Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs.
-More recently, simulators have become popular with people interested in older computers. The hardware for machines such as the [[IBM 7094]] (which ran the [[CTSS]] operating system), the [[Honeywell 6000 series‎‎|Honeywell 6180]] (which ran [[Multics]]) and the [[PDP-10]] (which ran [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]) is either gone completely, or extremely rare. So, for people who wise to experience one of these historic and influential older systems, a simulator is the answer.
+More recently, simulators have become popular with people interested in older computers. The hardware for machines such as the [[IBM 7094]] (which ran the [[CTSS]] operating system), the [[Honeywell 6000 series‎‎|Honeywell 6180]] (which ran [[Multics]]) and the [[PDP-10]] (which ran [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]) is either gone completely, or extremely rare. So, for people who wish to experience one of these historic and influential older systems, a simulator is the answer.
 Ironically, a simulator running on modern hardware is often considerably faster than the actual machine it is mimicking, so fast has been the progress in hardware.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:05, 14 April 2021
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	* [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1584617/simulator-or-emulator-what-is-the-difference Simulator or Emulator? What is the difference?] - One good discussion of the subject		* [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1584617/simulator-or-emulator-what-is-the-difference Simulator or Emulator? What is the difference?] - One good discussion of the subject
		+	* [https://github.com/PDP-10/its-vault/blob/master/files/_info_/pdp11.order PDP11 ORDER] - a very early simulator

	[[Category: Computer Basics]]		[[Category: Computer Basics]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:43, 15 December 2018
Line 20:		Line 20:

	* [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1584617/simulator-or-emulator-what-is-the-difference Simulator or Emulator? What is the difference?] - One good discussion of the subject		* [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1584617/simulator-or-emulator-what-is-the-difference Simulator or Emulator? What is the difference?] - One good discussion of the subject
		+
		+	[[Category: Computer Basics]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-A '''simulator''' is a program which emulates a particular kind of device, often a computer. For the latter, it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to emulate what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.
+There is some confusion, and no general agreement, about the precise difference between the terms '''simulator''' and [[emulator]]. A simulator is generally a device (often a program) which re-creates the workings of a particular kind of device, often a computer.
-Simulators often have an emphasis on duplicating exactly the internal operation of the device being simulated, but not so much on the emulating the device's external appearance; e.g. the [[SPICE]] analog circuit simulator merely simulates the operation of the circuits.
+For the latter, it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to mimic what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.
 Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] designs.
@@ Line 7: / Line 9: @@
 More recently, simulators have become popular with people interested in older computers. The hardware for machines such as the [[IBM 7094]] (which ran the [[CTSS]] operating system), the [[Honeywell 6000 series‎‎|Honeywell 6180]] (which ran [[Multics]]) and the [[PDP-10]] (which ran [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]) is either gone completely, or extremely rare. So, for people who wise to experience one of these historic and influential older systems, a simulator is the answer.
-Ironically, a simulator running on modern hardware is often considerably faster than the actual machine it is emulating, so fast has been the progress in hardware.
+Ironically, a simulator running on modern hardware is often considerably faster than the actual machine it is mimicking, so fast has been the progress in hardware.
 One notable simulator is [[SIMH]], which has modules to simulate many different kinds of older computers.
@@ Line 14: / Line 16: @@
 * [[Ersatz-11]]
-* [[Emulator]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:50, 23 October 2017
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−	A '''~~simlator~~''' is a program which emulates a particular kind of computer; it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to emulate what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.	+	A '''simulator''' is a program which emulates a particular kind of device, often a computer. For the latter, it reads a [[file]] of [[object code]], and processes it to emulate what an actual computer of that type would have done with that object program.
		+
		+	Simulators often have an emphasis on duplicating exactly the internal operation of the device being simulated, but no so much on the emulating the device's external appearance; e.g. the [[SPICE]] analog circuit simulator merely simulates the operation of the circuits.

	Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit\|CPU]] designs.		Simulators have had a variety of uses. Early simulators were sometimes written to allow work on the software for a new computer to begin before the hardware is working. Simulators were also used to evaluate different proposed [[Central Processing Unit\|CPU]] designs.