Introduction to GPSS

GPSS (General Purpose Simulation System) is a simulation programming language who use greatly eases the task of building computer models for discrete-event simulations. (A discrete-event simulation is one in which the state of the system being simulated changes at only a discrete, but possibly random, set of time points, called event times.) GPSS lends itself especially well to the modeling of queuing systems, but is generally applicable when it is of interest to determine how well a service organization will respond to the demands placed on it. For example, GPSS has been applied to the modeling of telephone companies, brokerage firms, computing centers, supermarkets, manufacturing shops, banks, steel mills, hotels, warehouse and distribution facilities, and general business (to examine the flow of information through a business, and assess its impact on operations performance).