The ABACUS system for branch-and-cut-and-price algorithms in integer programming and combinatorial optimization

The development of new mathematical theory and its application in software systems for the solution of hard optimization problems have a long traditio n in mathematical programming. In this tradition we implemented ABACUS, an object-oriented software framework for branch-and-cut-and-price algorithms for the solution of mixed integer and combinatorial optimization problems. This paper discusses some difficulties in the implementation of branch-and- cut-and-price algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems and shows how they are managed by ABACUS. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.