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From: fritz@hpfclp.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: MS-DOS expert system tools?
Message-ID: <7390002@hpfclp.HP.COM>
Date: Tue, 31-Mar-87 17:49:18 EST
Article-I.D.: hpfclp.7390002
Posted: Tue Mar 31 17:49:18 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Apr-87 03:06:15 EST
Organization: HP, Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 39

I'm looking for expert-systems tools that can be run on PC-class machines.
Cost is a factor, but performance and features are more important.  I am
willing to consider systems that cost $5000 or more if they answer my needs.
The tool would be used in a process-control application.  

Features I require and/or strongly desire include:

	- "Real-time" (or as close as I can get) response.  This probably
	  implies interruptable reasoning chains, and hopefully multiple
	  parallel reasoning chains so a chain could be blocked on an
	  outside data source (slow sensors, operator, etc.) while other,
	  non-blocked chains were processed.

	- Ability to link in my code to access the sensors, control the
	  application, etc.  It is NOT sufficient to be able to invoke
	  commands (.COM, .BAT, .EXE files).  It would be preferable if
	  *my* application could be the body of the end program and the
	  ES tool could be linked into *it*.

	- It would be very nice to have both forward and backward chaining.
	  Certainty factors are highly desirable.

So far I have looked at GURU, EXSYS, VP-Expert, and KDS.  None of these
systems comes close to my needs; most of them are question/answer menu-based
tools best suited for very simple interactive diagnostic or recommendation
ES's.  Some of them allow access to external databases, but none of them
(as far as I can tell) allow general user routines to be linked in.

I have access to TI's PC-Plus and will be looking at it soon.  I have read the 
advertising blurb on Level Five's Insight-2+, and it sounds very interesting.  
But then, the blurbs on some of the other tools sounded good, too.

Has anyone used these systems, or any others that meet my needs?  I would
really appreciate it if you would contact me with any suggestions.

Thanks,

Gary Fritz
{ihnp4,hplabs}!hpfcla!fritz