ntm1169@dsacg1.UUCP (Mott Given) (03/11/88)
I would like to know when Prolog is better suited for building an expert system application than a conventional expert system shell like M.1 from Teknowledge? I would also like to know when it is better to use a tool like M.1 than Prolog?
ok@quintus.UUCP (Richard A. O'Keefe) (03/11/88)
In article <382@dsacg1.UUCP>, ntm1169@dsacg1.UUCP (Mott Given) writes: > I would like to know when Prolog is better suited for building an expert > system application than a conventional expert system shell like M.1 from > Teknowledge? I would also like to know when it is better to use a tool > like M.1 than Prolog? In all seriousness, the answer is "wear the shoes that fit". If your application fits into the mould/straitjacket provided by a particular shell, then that's the thing to use. The trouble is, what do you do if when your application stops fitting? Using Lisp is like running up a steep hill. Using Prolog is like running up a slightly less steep hill. Using a shell is like running along level ground until wham! you hit a brick wall. You would be well advised to start trying to write down the "knowledge" for your application _before_ you select a shell or programming language. Try to isolate a small chunk of this that you expect to get going with a usable tool in about a week, and then ask around the vendors to see who will give you an evaluation copy for a week or a month, and see how hard it really is to get the small chunk working. Ask the vendors whether there is someone using their product for a similar application who would be willing to talk to you. (They may not know, of course, but if there _is_ someone like that it's a big help.) You may even find that it is a good idea to write a small prototype in a cheap shell and experiment with it for a while, then write the real application in Prolog.
ok@quintus.UUCP (Richard A. O'Keefe) (03/12/88)
In article <759@cresswell.quintus.UUCP>, ok@quintus.UUCP I wrote: > Using Prolog is like running up a slightly less steep hill. Using a shell > is like running along level ground until wham! you hit a brick wall. I should have made it clear that I had in mind shells like EMYCIN, not programming languages like M.1.