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From: mikeb@wdl31.wdl.loral.com (Michael H Bender)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.shells
Subject: Re: Performance tests
Message-ID: <7490@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de>
Date: 24 Jan 91 12:20:44 GMT
References: <7478@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de>
Sender: shell@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de
Organization: Ford Aerospace, Western Development Laboratories
Lines: 18
Approved: shell@dfki.uni-kl.de
Posted-Date: Wed Jan 30 11:04:33 GMT 1991

In article <7478@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de> timm@runx.oz.au (Tim Menzies) writes:

   I think that having some way of comparing different rule systems is a good
   idea. May I suggest that the comparision be based on that old
   favourite, the missionary & cannibal problem?

I am very doubtful about the idea of having a single benchmark for
comparing different rule systems. What would the results mean? That the
shell was very good for solving the Missionary and Cannibal Problem? In all
my years of programming, I have never once been asked to write a fast
program to solve that particular problem.

The only time that benchmarks have value is when you have a whole series of
different benchmarks (such as the Gabriel Benchmarks) that each measure
different characteristics of the system, or the same characteristic under
different conditions. Otherwise, it seems like a pointless activity.

Mike Bender