Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!gistdev!andy
From: andy@gistdev.gist.com (Andy Warinner)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: CLIPS OR NEXPERT
Message-ID: <1006@gistdev.gist.com>
Date: 13 Sep 90 16:51:34 GMT
References: <4601@turquoise.UUCP> <1990Sep12.193220.17036@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Organization: Global Information Systems Technology Inc., Savoy, IL
Lines: 50



If anyone is interested in CLIPS, you might consider waiting a little bit.
NASA has come out with CLIPS v5.0 with lots of goodies.  

CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) - "The features of COOL include:
classes with multiple inheritance, single and multi-valued slots (with
slot daemons), instances with encapsulation, and message-passing (with
before, after, primary, and around message-handlers)."

Deffunctions - "deffunctions may be used to new capabilities to CLIPS
without having to write new code in C and recompile CLIPS."

Generic functions - "Generic functions can be used to overload functions
in a manner similar to, but much more powerful than, languages such as
ADA and C++."

Global Variables

Integer Data Type Support

Conflict Resolution Strategies and Salience Extensions - "Seven conflict
resolution strategies are provided including depth, breadth, lex, mea,
simplicity, complexity, and random. ... Salience values can also be 
dynamically evaluated each time a new activation is added to the agenda..."

Deftemplate Field Checking

Incremental Reset

Truth Maintenance - "Facts can be made logically dependent upon the
existence or nonexistence of other facts."

(quoted from CLIPS v5.0 announcement)

NASA, USAF, and their contractors can get CLIPS by calling the CLIPS
Help Desk at (713) 280-2233 (Mon - Fri).  CLIPS v5.0 will be available
to the general public "by early 1991" (from the v5.0 announcement).
I heard from reliable sources that it would be January 1991.
The general public can obtain CLIPS from COSMIC (for $350):

	COSMIC
	382 E. Broad St.
	Athens, GA  30602
	(404) 542-3265

Andrew Warinner | "Semper ubi sub ubi" - J. Caesar
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