Asp Forum - Ruby PDQ? - comp.lang.ruby

Daniel Berger

11/29/2006 4:44:00 AM

Hi all,

I happened across this book at the store tonight:
http://www.perfdynamics.com/iBook/pp.... PDQ is an acronym for
"Pretty Damn Quick" that appears to be used for systems performance
modeling.

It looks interesting. There are Perl and Python bindings, but none for
Ruby.

Anyone need a project? :)

Regards,

Dan

16 Answers

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

11/29/2006 6:10:00 AM

Daniel Berger

11/29/2006 12:19:00 PM

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
> Daniel Berger wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I happened across this book at the store tonight:
> > http://www.perfdynamics.com/iBook/pp.... PDQ is an acronym for
> > "Pretty Damn Quick" that appears to be used for systems performance
> > modeling.
> >
> > It looks interesting. There are Perl and Python bindings, but none for
> > Ruby.
> >
> > Anyone need a project? :)
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Dan
> >
> Funny you should mention PDQ and Ruby. One of the people I work with
> just got back from his class. If you look carefully in the distribution
> (hints for finding it are on Dr. Gunther's web page) you will find the C
> code for PDQ, and it's easy to wrap in Ruby or any other language.

Yes, I figured someone might be interested in writing a Ruby/C
extension.

> He has a new book coming out very soon now. It's been printed and
> distributed in Europe, but it hasn't started shipping in the USA yet.

It's available in the US. I saw it at a Borders Bookstore. :)

> PDQ is indeed "used for system performance modeling". But the algorithms
> are simple enough that you can code them by hand. And I see little
> reason to rewrite them in Ruby if you can read either C, Perl or Python.

And for the people who can't, it would be nice to have a Ruby binding.
:)

Regards,

Dan

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

12/14/2006 5:00:00 AM

Daniel Berger wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I happened across this book at the store tonight:
> http://www.perfdynamics.com/iBook/pp.... PDQ is an acronym for
> "Pretty Damn Quick" that appears to be used for systems performance
> modeling.
>
> It looks interesting. There are Perl and Python bindings, but none for
> Ruby.
>
> Anyone need a project? :)
>
> Regards,
>
> Dan
>
Well, actually ...

http://rubyforge.org/viewvc/SPQR/?r...

But ...

1. I don't really like the algorithms in PDQ. They're way too limited --
essentially, Gunther makes you code everything in raw Perl except the
"vanilla" open circuit and closed circuit solvers.

2. Gunther's books have a few tidbits none of the others have, but it's
more "here's the formulas, here's a bunch of Perl code, and here's how I
solved problems with it." And they're pretty hard to read relative to
some of the others. His class, on the other hand, is excellent. He's
really the only one outside of a university setting that teaches this
kind of material, at least in the USA.

So ... rather than re-implement PDQ in Ruby -- which I'm sure someone
else will take on -- I decided to switch authors, books *and*
algorithms. :) Specifically, I've based SPQR (Stuff for Processing
Queuing models in Ruby) on the multi-class open and closed network
solvers with load dependent service centers in _Performance By Design_,
by Daniel A. Menasce, Virgilio A. F. Almeida, and Larry W. Dowdy.

I just posted the Rakefile, the main Ruby code and the RSpec "spec" file
-- I'm attempting to learn behavior-driven design with this code. Right
now, all that's there is the closed network solver and one test case
taken from an earlier book by the same authors. I'm hoping to get the
open network solver running over the weekend. The code isn't very well
documented, but the book has all the gory details anyway. It's badly in
need of refactoring as well; some entities in the algorithm are
"naturally" two-dimensional so the way I factored things doesn't always
make much sense.

So ... I hate to make everyone buy another book, but, well, that's life
when you're a performance engineer. :)

P.S.: I was originally going to call it "RubyQueues" but I discovered
there's already a "Ruby queue", so I scrambled around for another name.
>
>
>

--
M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
http://borasky-research.blo...

If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.

Ara.T.Howard

12/14/2006 5:27:00 AM

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

12/14/2006 6:19:00 AM

ara.t.howard@noaa.gov wrote:
> On Thu, 14 Dec 2006, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
>
>> P.S.: I was originally going to call it "RubyQueues" but I discovered
>> there's already a "Ruby queue", so I scrambled around for another name.
>
> sorry! ;-)
>
> -a
well ... you did get there first ... but then, maybe I can use SPQR to
model RQ on the QT, unless that would mean I'm SOL.

VBG

--
M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
http://borasky-research.blo...

If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.

goatdan

11/17/2010 5:49:00 PM

On Nov 17, 11:43 am, "Lloyd Olson" <l...@ssbilliards.com> wrote:
> Wow and holy F**K.
>
> Avatar has been out a month, you paid for the game ( approx. $4300 ) and
> took in maybe a few $ Hundred.
>
> You ain't made shit yet.
>
> And now you can sell the game at a loss, spend more to get the better one
> ( not just cosmetic better, lots of features better ) to keep your customers
> happy. Your customers will be bugging you if yours is the new and improved
> one, if not who has that. Or bugging the location and the location will be
> bugging you.
>
> Or you can keep your Avatar and watch income steadily decline, and still
> sell for a loss later. A routed Avatar isn't going to hold value.
>
> And you don't think that is a huge issue for Ops ?
>
> I think it's a serious issue. LTG :)

Lloyd,

I'd agree with you if I think that the 'normal' population would
notice such a thing, but realistically the only people who would
notice would be the hardcore pinball players. In a business like
yours, where you are well known in the pinball world and you're sort
of a mecca for people to come in and visit, I can totally see you
feeling like that -- but on a regular, standard route where I can't
imagine that 99% of the people dropping coin will even know there is a
second version of the game, I can't imagine it making that big of a
difference.

Did that many people walk away from playing TAF when TAFG came out?
Hell, I still know where there are a couple TAFs on route around here,
without the gold ROMs, so I really don't think that people are that
into bugging them for the latest version.

Lloyd Olson

11/17/2010 5:58:00 PM

I'd disagree Dan.

38 years ago when I worked for the largest op in the Midwest. I don't know
how many times we'd go into a location and the owner would slam down a trade
magazine and wonder why they didn't have something in it.

This was before the internet and instant communication.

You'd be amazed at how savy your normal population is. LTG :)

"goatdan" <loosen@goatstore.com> wrote in message
news:30b7adf9-0a02-4ce9-bca4-3defcbab0c41@z19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...

Lloyd,

I'd agree with you if I think that the 'normal' population would
notice such a thing, but realistically the only people who would
notice would be the hardcore pinball players. In a business like
yours, where you are well known in the pinball world and you're sort
of a mecca for people to come in and visit, I can totally see you
feeling like that -- but on a regular, standard route where I can't
imagine that 99% of the people dropping coin will even know there is a
second version of the game, I can't imagine it making that big of a
difference.

Did that many people walk away from playing TAF when TAFG came out?
Hell, I still know where there are a couple TAFs on route around here,
without the gold ROMs, so I really don't think that people are that
into bugging them for the latest version.

Max Pinball

11/17/2010 6:06:00 PM

also the funny thing is that if i wait a year to buy a machine I
probably won't even buy the game at all. Really would I want to own a
BBH now that Iron Man is out, no. Would I want an Avatar given that
Tron is coming out, who knows. Better to be patient, but it's a shame
for the NYC pinball league and community. But my trusty pinheads,
don't you worry... There are many great titles to come from my private
stock.

Lloyd Olson

11/17/2010 6:12:00 PM

And with patience, and buying or not buying later.

At the end of the year, when you add up all the pluses and minuses, you'll
see more profit. LTG :)

"Max Pinball" <maxpins@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:246beb48-67e5-4cd9-b0fe-8e9158a55b9f@f20g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...
> also the funny thing is that if i wait a year to buy a machine I
> probably won't even buy the game at all. Really would I want to own a
> BBH now that Iron Man is out, no. Would I want an Avatar given that
> Tron is coming out, who knows. Better to be patient, but it's a shame
> for the NYC pinball league and community. But my trusty pinheads,
> don't you worry... There are many great titles to come from my private
> stock.

jackal2001

11/17/2010 6:29:00 PM

I just purchased a NIB IM. If Stern decided to make a LE version that
had different rules, toys, cosmetics, I too would be pissed. At this
point I'm not sure what the versions of Stern titles are too be
produced. It seems since SM, there have only been two varients of the
same pin:

SM & SM Black
BDK & BDK Costco (Classic) Version
IM & IM Classic
Avatar & Avatar LE

I think that is all of them, but I could be mistaken. It seems as if
they plan on running two varients???

The question is when the next standard Coin Operated Pin is released,
will they run a LE or Classic version....

comp.lang.ruby

Ruby PDQ?

Daniel Berger

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

Daniel Berger

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

Ara.T.Howard

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky

goatdan

Lloyd Olson

Max Pinball

Lloyd Olson

jackal2001

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