Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

How many agents are supported by your framework?

The Comet Way Agent Kernel supports as many agents as their Java Runtime Environment (JRE) will allow. The primary restrictions of any kind of agent platform will always be memory, CPU load, storage requirements, and native APIs. Because the Comet Way Agent Kernel runs completely in Java™ environments, limitations can often be overcome by upgrading hardware, operating systems, or Java VMs. It is also possible to run multiple instances of the Comet Way Agent Kernel -- an option not often provided by other agent platforms.

Are there benchmarking studies available?

Not at the current time.

Does your tool provide 3D visualizations?

The Comet Way Agent Kernel does not provide 3D representations of the agents. It does allow for the implementation of this type of functionality through the Java3D or Java4GL APIs. Because the relationships between agents are typically multi-dimensional, 2 dimensions or even 3 dimensions are not always enough to illustrate the architecture of an agent application. With the exception of setup and configuration, most agent applications are designed to run as a faceless background process with no direct user interface whatsoever.

Does your tool have a simulator module?

The Comet Way Agent Kernel does not provide any specific simulation modules or APIs. It does provide a complete modular architecture capable of integrating simulated components during the development of of other modules. This ability makes unit testing easy, and can help facilitate parallel development of an agent-based application.

Is there a white sheet available for your tool?

There is no white paper available for the Comet Way Agent Kernel. Everything that has been said about the Comet Way Agent Kernel can be found in the included documentation or on this website. We take a very simple position on the needs of agent software, and the freeware release of the Comet Way Agent Kernel is a successful illustration of how simple components can be used to create complex systems that are competitive with expensive commercial applications.