Software Requirement : PICS requires Gnu LISP compiler and Closette MOP  module.  These two software packages are mirrored here: gcl.rpm and closette and newcl.lisp.

PICS Package
Module	Purpose
extension.lisp	First version of PICS  allows to define PICS components, Component Methods,  and make-connection construct to connect components together.
extension1.lisp	Earlier Version of PICS is extended to support hierarchical component definition (i.e. Components with rep-list).
nmcon3.lisp	Set of macros to define connector, connector-method and system of components and connectors.
soapmp.lisp	A set of SOAP message  Processing  macros.
Example Programs
Example	Purpose
hwinPICS	"Hello World!" Program in PICS
broadcastor.lisp	A PICS program having  a broadcaster type of connector that will connect to multiple broadcasters and receivers and selectively broadcasts the message.
1. mesponse.lisp 2.req-rep.lisp 3. cache.lisp 4. ed.lisp	Message Exchange Patterns found Serviced Oriented Architecture (SOA) are captured using PICS connector.
pun-sub.lisp	Publish-Subscriber Pattern  in PICS
med.lisp	Mediator Pattern in PICS
migrator.lisp	Object Migration in ARC is simulated in PICS
jcainPICS.lisp	Life Cycle Management Module of J2EE Connector Architecture is described in PICS.

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Prototypes are used to explore, experiment and communicate different design alternatives. At an architectural level design, prototypes bring out components and connectors in the proposed system and demonstrate interactions among them. Architectural prototypes are also used to test proposed implementation. Architectural  prototypes are tested against usage scenarios.

Most of the ADLs like ACME/UML are descriptive in nature. PICS is an executable architectural descriptive language. Components and connectors defined in ADLs have state and are associated with method implementation.

Rapide, ArchJava and PrismMW are some of the other executable architectural definition language. Basic difference between these languages and PICS lies in the mechanism used to implement interactions among component. PICS achieves interaction among component through procedure call mechanism. Multicasting semantics is associated with PC mechanism used in PICS. Rapide/PrismMW  uses event call mechanism to achieve component interaction. In Archjava connection logic is embedded in components but in PICS connections are externally specified.