A library of reusable software components can greatly speed the development of a computer program even while increasing its reliability.

The Booch (or "Wizard") library is one such example. It provides common data structures and operations on them. The data structures include linked lists, stacks, trees, graphs and even the exotic "bags". They are provided in several variants such as: fixed memory size ("bounded") and unlimited ("unbounded"); tasking safe ("concurrent") and unsafe ("sequential").

The speaker will discuss:

• the components; the problem of selecting which of the 501 files you want (the "taxonomy"),
• his experience in using them in applications and academics over the last 10 years in the areas of command and control, and real-time systems,
• the technical and programmatic implications, and
• comparable libraries, both historic and current.

Updated Mar 5, 1999