Affiliations: [a] Alphametrics Corporation, P.O. Box 2566, Bala Cynwyd,
PA 19004-6566, USA
Note: [1]
I am grateful to a number of people who have taken the time to read and
comment on this paper, including F. Gerard Adams, Leo de Bever, Paul Coomes,
Michael McCarthy, Michael McCracken, Alan Scowcroft, and Stephen Wright. I
alone am responsible for the misstatements and misperceptions that
remain.
Abstract: MODLER is one of a small group of integrated econometric software packages
developed during the past twenty-five years. These packages are often referred
to as econometric modeling languages, in order to convey the idea that they
provide a suitable environment in which to construct and use such models.
Inasmuch as econometric models consist of equations, it is natural to think of
their syntactic form as language-like. The development of MODLER began in
1969–1970. It was converted to the microcomputer starting in 1981 and became the
basis for the first microcomputer-based econometric forecasting service.
Microcomputer-based models embedded in MODLER by the end of 1985 included the
600+ equation Wharton Mark VII Quarterly Econometric Model of the United States,
as well as smaller models in earlier years. Since then, other models of 500+
simultaneous equations, including one of approximately 1000 equations, have been
built and used with the software, plus over 2000 smaller models, created by
users worldwide. The paper briefly describes representative MODLER applications,
as well as the software's design and development through the end of 1994. Other
packages broadly similar to MODLER include TROLL, XSIM, and EPS, among packages
introduced prior to 1980, and AREMOS, among packages introduced since 1986.
