From:	Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@****.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject:	More on Expert Systems
Date:	Mon, 26 Oct 92 14:57:57 EST

For those of you that doubt the possiblity of expert systems:


Expert systems existed in a rudimentary form in the late 20th
century. Expert systems as we know them now evolved from software design
"tools" and electronic design aids such as SPICE or CAD. In the early
1990's the majority of software was written using pieces of existing
software modified for new uses, and software developed using design tools.

These design tools were simply programs that generated program
skeletons based on supplied data. For example, most programs made to
recognize patterns or divide input strings into logical units (of great use
in compilers and command interpreters) were developed using a utility known
as LEX. The programmer supplied LEX with a mathematical description of
each type of input pattern (s)he wanted to recognize. LEX would then
generate a control structure for the pattern recognizer. Then all the
programmer had to do was fill in the blanks (ie how to handle error cases
and special cases and some more detail for the data structures) and then
write a control module to run it. This saved around 60%-70% of the work
involved.

These archaic expert systems were far from complete and typically
generated faulty programs if not supplied with very specific and accurate
information. Todays expert systems can do so much more. They are usually
armed with an extensive library of knowledge and are sophisticated enough
to report and fix most design specification errors.

The most common use for an expert system is in program generation.
this is one of the oldest forms of expert system. In second are systems
for electronic and mechanical design (outgrowths of archaic CAD tools).
In all these cases the Expert system does not typically produce a complete
finished product, but usually produces complete sub-sections of the overall
design, leaving interface/connecting issues to the designer. The typical
modern Expert system can save a designer up to 85% of his time, and also
allows a designer to work on many more projects simultaneously than in the
past.

Many corps have placed extensive effort into the perfection of
better and faster Expert systems.
<stuff deleted--------------------------->

>>>>>[ Sounds to me like Expert System research facilities and personnel
make
wonderful targets for "extractions". ]<<<<<<
---Dark Elf <Ghost In The Machine>

>>>>>[ I heard that! You come near my department I'll make shure your deck
gets slagged! ]<<<<<<
---P.Johnson-MagnaTechR&D<15:20:37/10-26-53>

>>>>>[ Lighten up Johnson, everyone knows that Aztech is the leader in
Expert
System design, but thanks for letting me know that you've got something
going over at MagnaTech too ]<<<<<
---Dark Elf <Do your worst Johnson, We'll see who gets slagged>