[comp.ai] constraint systems

ahlenius@cell.mot.COM (Mark Ahlenius) (11/21/89)

I am interested in finding out more information about constraint
satisfaction systems.  In particular the Babylon system that
is mentioned in a research thesis called CONSAT.  Does anyone
have any information about this system, like if its in the PD
or if its a purchased tool or whatever?  I believe it was 
originally on a Symbolics platform.  I would also like to
find out what platforms it is available on.

	thanks in advance

		'mark

thomas@gmdzi.UUCP (Thomas Gordon) (11/22/89)

From article <420@granite3.UUCP>, by ahlenius@cell.mot.COM (Mark Ahlenius):
> I am interested in finding out more information about constraint
> satisfaction systems.  In particular the Babylon system that
> is mentioned in a research thesis called CONSAT.  Does anyone
> have any information about this system, like if its in the PD
> or if its a purchased tool or whatever?  I believe it was 
> originally on a Symbolics platform.  I would also like to
> find out what platforms it is available on.
> 

Hans-Werner Guesgen's PhD thesis on CONSAT has been published as a monograph. I
believe the publisher is Prentice-Hall.  (I just saw an advertisement
blurb yesterday but, sigh, no longer have it.)

There is also a book about Babylon, the expert systems toolkit (or "workbench")
developed here at the GMD.  It was published, in German, by Addison-Wesley
this year.  An English translation is in the works, but I am not quite sure
when it is expected to be available.   Babylon runs on a variety of
operating system and hardware platforms, including Symbolics, Macintoshes,
Suns (and other Unix workstations) and, I believe, PC compatibles.

Tom Gordon

-- 
Thomas F. Gordon                    email: thomas@gmdzi.uucp
GMD / F3	                    phone: (+49 2241) 14-2665
Schloss Birlinghoven
D-5205 Sankt Augustin 1, FRG

guesgen@icsia1.berkeley.edu (Hans-Werner Guesgen) (11/22/89)

In article <1712@gmdzi.UUCP> thomas@gmdzi.UUCP (Thomas Gordon) writes:
>Hans-Werner Guesgen's PhD thesis on CONSAT has been published as a monograph. I
>believe the publisher is Prentice-Hall.  (I just saw an advertisement
>blurb yesterday but, sigh, no longer have it.)
>...
>...

Almost right, Tom. Actually, my thesis has been published in the series
"Research Notes in Artificial Intelligence" by Morgan Kaufmann/San Mateo,
California and Pitman/London, England. It should be available in the
bookstores by now (or will be soon).

Hans

---
Hans Werner Guesgen                           email: guesgen@icsi.Berkeley.EDU
International Computer Science Institute
1947 Center Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

usc@gmdzi.UUCP (Uwe Schnepf) (11/23/89)

In article <420@granite3.UUCP>, ahlenius@cell.mot.COM (Mark Ahlenius) writes:
> I am interested in finding out more information about constraint
> satisfaction systems.  In particular the Babylon system that
> is mentioned in a research thesis called CONSAT.  Does anyone
> have any information about this system, like if its in the PD
> or if its a purchased tool or whatever?  I believe it was 
> originally on a Symbolics platform.  I would also like to
> find out what platforms it is available on.
> 
> 	thanks in advance
> 
> 		'mark


Tom Gordon did not know when the English handbook of Babylon will be available.
Well, since I am in charge of monitoring the translation, I know: 
A draft version is available right now. Babylon for the Mac II can be 
purchased from the
Addison-Wesley company for about $100.- . That is the PD price since we are 
a non-profit organization. If you are interested in a copy of Babylon
(it is available on ten different computers such as Vax, Symbolics, IBM,
Cadmus, etc. - all explained in the Babylon book), please let me know - I will
see what I can do. A reimplementation on
Sun is underway in a joint project with Volkswagen - but this will be a
commercial version available spring 91. An Apollo version will be available
soon. Anything else?


Cheers,


   Uwe

*******************************************************************************

Address:

Uwe Schnepf
Expert System Research Group
German National Research Center for Computer Science (GMD)
F3.XPS
Schloss Birlinghoven
P.O. Box 1240

5205 Sankt Augustin 1

West Germany

E-mail:  usc@gmdzi.uucp

Telefon: +49 - 2241 - 14 27 04

Fax:     +49 - 2241 - 14 28 89

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