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AIList Digest Volume 5 Issue 014
AIList Digest Monday, 26 Jan 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 14
Today's Topics:
AI Tools - Scheme for Mac and IBM PCs &
Expert System Shell on PCDOS and Unix,
Mythology - Antiquity of AI,
Seminars - Presenting Intuitive Deductions (UPenn) &
New Themes in Data Structure Design (SU) &
AI and Software Engineering (BTL) &
Learning Internal Disjunctive Concepts (SRI),
Conference - MidAltantic Logic Seminar
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Date: Wed, 21 Jan 87 22:38:34 PST
From: larry@Jpl-VLSI.ARPA
Subject: Scheme for Mac & IBM PCs
Scheme can be gotten for Apple Macs and IBM PCs. MacScheme is $125 and can
be gotten from Semantic Microsystems in Oregon, 503/643-4359. The Texas
Inst. version costs $95; their phone # is 800/527-3500. A review from last
Feb. is appended for those who did not see it before. Larry @ jpl-vlsi.arpa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Rob Pettengill <CAD.PETTENGILL@MCC.ARPA> [69 lines]
I recently purchased an implementation of the Scheme dialect of lisp for my
PC. I am familiar with GC Lisp, IQ Lisp, and Mu Lisp for the PC. I use
Lambdas and 3600s with ZetaLisp at work.
TI PC Scheme is a very complete implementation of scheme for the IBM and TI
personal computers and compatibles. It combines high speed code execution,
a good debugging and editing environment, and very low cost.
The Language:
* Adheres faithfully to the Scheme standard.
* Has true lexical scoping.
* Prodedures and environments are first class data objects.
* Is properly tail recursive - there is no penalty compared
to iteration.
* Includes window and graphics extensions.
The Environment:
* An incremental optimizing compiler (not native 8086 code)
* Top level read-compile-print loop.
* Interactive debugger allows run time error recovery.
* A minimal Emacs-like full screen editor with a scheme mode
featuring parethesis matching and auto indenting of lisp code.
* An execute DOS command or "push" to DOS capability - this is
only practical with a hard disk because of the swap file PCS writes.
* A DOS based Fast Load file format object file conversion utility.
* A fast 2 stage garbage collector.
First Impressions:
Scheme seems to be much better sized to a PC class machine than the other
standard dialects of lisp because of its simplicity. The TI implementation
appears to be very solid and complete. The compiled code that it produces
(with debugging switches off) is 2 to 5 times faster than the other PC lisps
that I have used. With the full screen editor loaded (there is also a
structure editor) there seems to be plenty of room for my code in a 640k PC.
TI recommends 320k or 512k with the editor loaded. The documentation is of
professional quality (about 390 pages), but not tutorial. Abelson and
Sussman's "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" is a very
good companion for learning scheme as well as the art and science of
cprogramming in general.
My favorite quick benchmark -
(define (test n)
(do
((i 0 (1+ i))
(r () (cons i r)))
((>= i n) r)))
runs (test 10000) in less than 10 seconds with the editor loaded - of course
it takes a couple of minutes to print out the ten thousand element list that
results.
The main lack I find is that the source code for the system is not included-
one gets used to that in good lisp environments. I have hit only a couple
of minor glitches, that are probably pilot error, so far. Since the system
is compiled with debugging switches off it is hard to get much useful
information about the system from the dubugger.
Based on my brief, but very positive experience with TI PC scheme and its
very low price of $95 - I recommend it to anyone interested in a PC based
lisp. (Standard disclaimers about personal opinions and having no
commercial interest in the product ...)
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jan 87 17:21:04 GMT
From: felix!fritz!kumar@hplabs.hp.com (John Kumar)
Subject: Expert System Shell on PCDOS and Unix
I got requests to send a summary of the responses I got to my enquiry. The
only useful one I got, I am including below.
The Shell offered by EXSYS (505)836-6676 will be up and running in unix by
mid February. It already runs on VMS. EXSYS has learned a lot about user
friendly recently, and offers superior features to Insight 2+ in the new
release about to come out, including: context sensitive help, backup to
last question, full blackboard, very fast operation, "fairly vanilla"
default display graphics, and powerful shell interface. I know some of
those features also exist in Insight 2+, but it's 4:00 in the morning and
if I could back up in this file, I'd reword my paragraph. EXSYS also offers
an online data dictionary and detects collision between similar rules.
Since it assigns serial numbers to rules, objects, and attributes, you
don't have to make up "meaningful" names for all your rules.
John, we are working on several expert systems for software diagnosis. We
are delivering networked expert systems on the PC now and started development
last month of a series of projects to run on 3B machines.
If you would like to talk, I'd be happy to share information both in my
capacity at Pacific Bell and representing my outside consulting/training
company. RSVP to:
John Girard
AI Systems Engineer
Pacific Bell
(415)823-1961
Meta (Inference) Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 635
San Ramon, CA 94583-0635
(415)449-5745
{dual,cbosgd,bellcore,ihnp4,qantel,pyramid}!ptsfa!jeg
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jan 87 10:26:00 EST
From: "*BROWN, MARK" <mbrown@ari-hq1.ARPA>
Reply-to: "*BROWN, MARK" <mbrown@ari-hq1.ARPA>
Subject: antiquity of AI
There may be a reference that relates to AI in the Story of Gilgamish
the King, a Summarian legend from about 2500 B.C.
Neil Maclay
MACLAY@ARI-HQ1.ARPA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 87 10:58:55 EST
From: dale@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Dale Miller)
Subject: Seminar - Presenting Intuitive Deductions (UPenn)
Penn Math/CS Logic Seminar
26 January
Presenting Intuitive Deductions
Frank Pfenning
(pfenning@theory.cs.cmu.edu)
Carnegie-Mellon University
A deduction of a theorem may be viewed as an explanation why the theorem
holds. Unfortunately the automated theorem proving community has
concentrated almost exclusively on determining whether a proposed theorem is
provable - the proofs themselves were secondary. We will explore how
convincing explanations may be obtained from almost any kind of machine
proof. This extends work by Dale Miller and Amy Felty (who present
deductions in the sequent calculus) to a natural deduction system. Also,
our deductions will generally not be normal, that is, they make use of
lemmas which are so frequent in mathematical practice and everyday
reasoning. We will also briefly discuss possible applications of the
methods in the field which may be called "Inferential Programming".
Math Seminar Room, 4th floor Math/Physics Building, 11:00am
------------------------------
Date: Wed 21 Jan 87 11:21:12-PST
From: Alejandro Schaffer <SCHAFFER@Sushi.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Seminar - New Themes in Data Structure Design (SU)
annual Forsythe Lecture of general interest
Robert Tarjan
Princeton University and AT&T Bell Laboratories
New Themes in Data Structure Design
Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30
Fairchild Auditorium
(just southwest of Stanford Medical Center off Campus Drive)
This talk will cover recent work by the speaker and his colleagues
concerning the design and analysis of data structures. The talk will
focus on persistent data structures, which allow access to any
version of the structure, past or present. Applications of such
structures in computational geometry and other areas will be
discussed.
(There will be a reception in the Fairchild Auditorium foyer immediately
following the lecture.)
------------------------------
Date: Tue 20 Jan 1987 18:20:20
From: dlm.allegra%btl.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET
Subject: Seminar - AI and Software Engineering (BTL)
Title: Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering
Speaker: Dave Barstow
Affiliation: Schlumberger-Doll Research
Date: January 20, 1987
Location: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Murray Hill
Sponsor: Pamela Zave
Abstract:
Artificial Intelligence techniques ought to help us to manage the extensive
knowledge needed for software engineering, but two decades of research have
produced few demonstrations of utility. This is due in part to the narrow
focus of previous research. This talk discusses important issues that remain
to be addressed, describes a practical experiment, and suggests profound
implications for software engineering.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 87 18:32:33 PST
From: lansky@sri-venice.ARPA (Amy Lansky)
Subject: Seminar - Learning Internal Disjunctive Concepts (SRI)
LEARNING INTERNAL DISJUNCTIVE CONCEPTS
David Haussler (HAUSSLER%UCSC@CSNET-RELAY)
Dept. of Computer and Information Sciences, UC Santa Cruz
11:00 AM, TUESDAY, January 27
SRI International, Building E, Room EK242
Much of artificial intelligence research on concept learning from
examples has focussed on heuristic learning techniques that have not
been susceptible to rigorous analysis. Here we present a simple
heuristic algorithm for learning a particular type of concept
identified by Michalski (internal disjunctive concepts) and analyze
its performance using the learning performance model recently proposed
by Valiant. This analysis shows that the algorithm will be effective
and efficient in a wide variety of real-world learning situations.
VISITORS: Please arrive 5 minutes early so that you can be escorted up
from the E-building receptionist's desk. Thanks!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 87 16:20:22 EST
From: dale@linc.cis.upenn.edu (Dale Miller)
Subject: Conference - MidAltantic Logic Seminar
If you plan to attend the Mid Atlantic Mathematical Logic Seminar, you
might consider the following hotels in the Univ of Pennsylvania area.
o Divine Tracy Hotel, 20 South 36th Street, $15/night, 0.5 miles from
meeting, 215/382-4310
o Quality Inn, 22nd St (north of Parkway), $45/night, 2 miles from
meeting, 800/228-5151
o Hilton Hotel, Civic Center Blvd & 34th, $60/night, 215/387-8333, 0.2
miles from the meetings
o Sheraton Inn University City, 36th & Chestnut, $64/night, 0.5 miles
from meeting, 215/387-8000
The prices are approximate. Notice: there are no plans to publish
proceedings of this conference.
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End of AIList Digest
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