Coral Software Corp. and Franz Inc., in a combined development effort, have announced Allegro CL, a complete implementation of Common LISP for the Mac II. The product features an incremental native code compiler, object-oriented programming capabilities, a programmable EMACS-style editor, and advanced debugging tools such as a window-based inspector and stepper. These are fully integrated into the Macintosh user interface to create an unparalleled LISP programming environment. Thus, Allegro CL allows the Mac to function as an independent AI workstation.
Allegro CL requires 1-Mbyte RAM and 1.6 Mbyte of disk storage. It runs on both 68000 and 68020 CPUs, directly supports the 68881 math coprocessor, and runs on Macintoshes with large screens. The product sells for $399.95. Reader Service No. 24.
Coral Software P.O. Box 307 Cambridge, MA 02142 (617) 547-2662
The Golden Common LISP (GCLISP) Developer 286, Version 3.0 is available from Gold Hill Computers. The new version features a compiler which strictly adheres to the complete semantics of Common LISP, faster load times, an expanded GMACS editor for easier manipulation of LISP syntax, and support for Portable Common Loops, a flexible object programming system. The GCLISP Developer also comes with the San Marco LISP Explorer, an interactive tutorial developed by San Marco Assoc.; the GCLISP Reference Manual; User's Guide; the second edition of LISP by Winston and Horn; and the Common LISP Reference Manual by Guy Steele. Reader Service No. 25.
Gold Hill Computers 163 Harvard St. Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 492-2071
PowerLisp Version 2.0, from MicroProducts, offers complete support for Common LISP and InterLISP-10 as well as Common LOOPS. PowerLisp supports the complete Common LISP standard. The product is available for the IBM PC AT, Intel 386, and VAXmate. PowerLisp for the 286 is $2,195 and for the 386 is $2,995. Reader Service No. 26
MicroProducts 370 W. Camino Gardens Blvd. Boca Raton, FL 33432 (800) 553-0777
Digitalk is now shipping release 2.0 of Smalltalk/V, a PC-based implementation of the Smalltalk programming language. The new release supports the high-resolution graphic modes (640 x 480) of the IBM PS-2/25 and 30 computers and includes windowing enhancements.
Smalltalk/V Release 2.0 is priced at $99.95. Registered owners of earlier releases may obtain upgrades for $25. Reader Service No. 27.
Digitalk 9841 Airport Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90045 (213) 645-1082
Trilogy is a new programming language developed by Complete Logic Systems that combines procedural programming, declarative programming, and database programming. Trilogy comes with its own environment including editor, module library, interactive compiler (producing native 8086 and 8087 code), online linker, loader, and context sensitive help screens. Users can edit, compile, link, and execute multimodule programs without ever leaving the Trilogy environment. The product also comes with four standard modules called Math, Strings, Files, and Windows. These modules export routines (in that order) for transcendental functions, string/date/time manipulation functions, file access functions, and windowing functions.
Trilogy runs on the IBM PC, IBM PC AT and XT, and compatibles using DOS 2.1 or later, uses 512K, and is not copy protected. It is priced at $99.95 US. Reader Service No. 28.
Complete Logic Systems 741 Blueridge Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7R 2J5 (604) 986-3234
McGraw-Hill has published a new book called A Comprehensive Guide to AI and Expert Systems: Turbo Pascal Edition by Robert Levine, Diane E. Drang, and Barry Edelson.
The book offers full explanations of the basic concepts of artificial intelligence and expert systems and also shows how AI techniques can be implemented on a personal computer. Complete discussions examine a wide range of important topics, including natural language processing, forward and backward chaining, and the use of probability and fuzzy logic in expert systems. Aspects such as object-oriented expert systems, semantic nets, certainty factors, automated learning, using PROLOG to design expert systems, and LISP are also explored. The book sells for $19.95. Reader Service No. 29.
McGraw-Hill Book Company 11 W. 19th St. New York, NY 10011 (212) 337-5945
Structured Induction in Expert Systems, by Alen D. Shapiro, is a new book published by Addison-Wesley which shows how the knowledge acquisition process can be automated by the application of inductive learning techniques. It provides a guide to techniques for the synthesis of transparent rules from examples supplied by the domain expert. It also shows applications of these techniques to complex problems in chess end-game classification. This book can be used as a supplement for graduate-level courses on expert systems and AI programming. The suggested retail price for the book is $31.25. Reader Service No. 30.
Addison-Wesley Publishing Reading, MA 01867 (617) 944-3700
OPS83, by Production Systems Technologies is a rule-based programming language that was designed as a tool for developing and delivering knowledge-based, second generation expert systems. The language is not restricted to merely diagnostic or classification tasks. Code written in OPS83 can easily be interfaced to code written in other languages. Reader Service No. 31.
Introduction Systems Technologies 642 Gettysburg St. Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (412) 362-3117
VP-Expert form Paperback software is a rule-based expert system development tool. Features include a built-in text editor, an inductive front end that creates if-then rules directly from examples in external files of other programs, an inference engine, floating-point arithmetic and trigonometric functions, confidence factors, text and graphic tracing, and external program calls.
VP-Expert runs on the IBM PC, IBM PC AT and XT, IBM PS/2, or compatibles with 384K, uses MSDOS 2.0 or later, and is not copy protected. The product sells for $124.95. Reader Service No. 32.
Paperback Software International 2830 Ninth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 644-2116
The Berkshire Software Company has released Turbo Shell Version 2.0, a software system designed to provide a complete environment for the development of expert systems. The product provides menudriven facilities for creating, modifying, and consulting knowledge bases comprised of rules, facts, and solutions. The system is based on the classic MYCIN model of expert system development using production rules for the classification of knowledge. Turbo Shell can be requested to provide an explanation of its logic and line of reasoning in pursuit of a conclusion, and will provide a complete explanation when a conclusion has been reached.
The Turbo Shell expert system development environment is written entirely in Turbo PROLOG. The package sells for $89 and runs on IBM PCs and compatibles with one dual sided floppy-disk drive and at least 256K of RAM. Reader Service No. 33.
The Berkshire Software Company 44 Madison St. Lynbrook, NY 11563 (516) 593-8019
AI-NET 101 from AI Ware is a data analyzer based on neural net technology. It autonomously learns patterns among input samples using techniques inspired by knowledge of the human brain's learning processes. AI-NET 101 operates in realtime and is suitable for integration into industrial environments. its modular design allows several nets to be connected into a single system. AI-NET 101 uses proprietary software that takes advantage of the neural net's internal structure to increase its learning performance. AI-NET 101 uses a Microsoft Windows interface. The Al-NET accelerator card, which fits into the IBM PC, increases learning speeds up to 10 times and more. The product sells for $4,500. Reader Service No. 34.
AI Ware Inc. 11000 Cedar Ave., Ste. 212 Cleveland, OH 44106 (216) 421-2380
CLOE is a new software package developed by Symbolics that is a software environment for both the Symbolics 3600 product line and Intel 80386-based personal computers. CLOE consists of three software modules--one for delivery and two for application development and fine tuning. For delivery, CLOE Runtime executes the application on the targeted 80386-based delivery machine. This software module is a native 80386 Common LISP runtime platform with extensions such as multitasking, support for new flavors object-oriented programming language, advanced exception handling facilities, and a high-performance garbage collector. For development, programmers will need the 3600-based Developer software module and the companion 80386-based Application Generator.
CLOE Runtime requires an Intel 80386-based PC or workstation, Unix System V, Release 3.0, 2 Mbyte of RAM and a 20-Mbyte hard disk. Prices vary according to licensing configuration. Reader Service No. 35.
Symbolics Inc. 11 Cambridge Center Cambridge, MA 02142 (617) 621-3727