Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu0.cc.monash.edu.au!monu6!sci240s From: sci240s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (mr w.j. ho) Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets Subject: Re: Neuralworks Professional II Plus Message-ID: <1991May14.144330.5793@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> Date: 14 May 91 14:43:30 GMT Article-I.D.: monu6.1991May14.144330.5793 References: <1991May11.232140.24961@ncs.dnd.ca> <5690@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au> Organization: Caulfield Campus, Monash University, Melb., Australia. Lines: 38 wouter@duttnph.tudelft.nl (Wouter Schmidt) writes: >However as a pure research tool it is (for our group) of no use. Try for >example to implement the back propagation rule for radial basis functions or >to implement a complete new network paradigm within neural works. Our >experience is that most of your coding effort is wasted to understand and to >implement the neural works requirement. The documentation on this subject is >poor and if your 'new' idea does not work you do not know if you made a >programming error or your 'new' idea is of no use. >A succesfull implementation of a new network idea depends on a number of >software layers in neural works and modification must be done in all of these >layers. An understanding of your adaptions to the software may not completely >be clear due to the complex software structure. >As argued before in this newsgroup if you are doing research in developing new >neural networks techniques you will often end up coding your own neural >networks environment in a general purpose language like C or C++. This argument >still holds for neural works professional ! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What about using a high level language for the description and definition of neural network architectures ? 2 examples of commercially available packages are : 1) AXON by HNC Inc; and 2) ANSPEC by SAIC. Anyone has experience with these or any other similar languages or tools? Personally, for reasonable speed and flexibility to do some real experiment and work, I would prefer a hardware based neuro-coprocessor. For example, the Balboa or Anza from HNC, the Delta II from SAIC, and many other companies offering similar boards. Get whichever one that suits your needs, budget, and etc ( company support, add-ons, libraries, etc etc ). -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ Wey Jing Ho Tel: 61-3-5732567 E-mail : sci240s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au ^ ^ Physics Dept., Monash University ( Caulfield Campus ), Melbourne, AUSTRALIA ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^