Three companies offer object-oriented AI/rule-based inference products with platform independence and a complete integrated development environment (IDE), for about $20K: 1) Neuron Data, . A very sophisticated inference engine optimized for backward chaining and pattern matching. Sold chiefly to the telecommunication and finance industries. Currently augmenting their product to support intelligent Internet applets in Java. 2) AION/DS from Trinzic, owned by Platinum, . Mostly used in the insurance industry. 3) Brightware, an Inference Corp. spin-out, . Optimized for forward chaining using the RETE algorithm. Inference Corp. uses the same technology for case-based reasoning (CBR). In addition, several companies offer mid-range ($3K-$5K) products with C/C++ libraries and limited GUI or database tools for developers. In particular, 1) Eclipse from Haley Enterprises offers RETE-based forward chaining, and 2) Gensim offers a real-time shell. Lisp and Prolog products are also available. At the low-cost end, NASA's CLIPS engine is used mostly in academia and is supported mostly by its user community. In choosing an inference engine, be sure to consider support (and track record), availability of training and consulting services, integration with other products, support for COM/CORBA/IIOP standards, and Java support. For more info, see the FAQs at and . [Madeleine Pincu , comp.ai.shells, 25Apr97.]

Another major rule-based inference system is the new ILOG Rules. In C++, it features a visual rule builder, rule compiler, rule interpreter for run-time rules, and graphic tracing and debugging tools. A Java version also exists. ILOG Rules can make inferences directly from the C++ or Java objects of your application, allowing developers to manipulate and monitor native Java objects using a powerful rules-based syntax. . [Changhai Ke , comp.ai.shells, 25Apr97.]

Neuron Data has released Jewels and Joy, two new development tools. Joy produces commercial-quality Java GUIs. Jewels is a functional and scaleable business rules engine implemented in Java class libraries. . [Andrew Blair , DAI-List, 30Apr97. Bill Park.]

Version 4.1 of the G2 inference shell from Gensym Corp. includes new tabular display and spreadsheet capabilities, plus other enhancements. . [Ibid.]

DECISION FORCE from PRO-ACTION is an automatic rule-based data mining and predicative modeling tool. . [Ibid.]

There's an online tutorial on Bayesian networks at the Air Force Institute of Technology site, . [Paul Nielsen , comp.ai.games, 13Feb97.]