7. Future prospects

The first digital simulators ran on mainframes, whose use was highly restricted, with CPU (Central Processing Unit) costs sometimes prohibitive. Since the 1980s, workstations (based on Unix operating systems in particular) have made it possible to decentralize and facilitate access to significant computing power. We are seeing the emergence of distributed architectures with the use of data or even calculation servers, and "personal" computing resources for which the notion of calculation cost has lost its initial meaning.

At the same time, the importance of man-machine interfaces is becoming paramount, and it is no longer calculation time that is a deterrent, but rather "engineering" time, i.e. the time needed to prepare and analyse simulations. Last but not least, PCs (Personal Computers) are now going well beyond the initial scope of office automation (or game...