Intelligent Software Agents - Softcover

Murch, Richard; Johnson, Tony

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130110213 ISBN 13: 9780130110213

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 1998

Synopsis

This book discusses the current state of the use and possible uses of intelligent agent technology.

About this title

From the Author:

An important technology suffering from early everhype
Agent technology hit the covers of Time and the headlines of newspapers two years ago. Since that time it appears that it was another case of hype, another revolution that is not happening.

The truth is that information contained in the the web of today is far too simplistic and insufficiently structured for other than very simple and fairly dumb agents to operate within and deliver any business value. This simplicity has been holding up what we believe is a massive explosion of tools and software that can only be likened to the explosion that followed the invention of HTML and HTTP (the web) itself.

XML is the key technology which will begin to unlock the potential of intelligent software agents that can deliver real value back to business. XML allows those agents to identify the information they need to act. Yet XML was only ratified this year. It is this delay which has given technology watchers the impression that agents are a non event.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Richard Murch and I have tried to explain the importance of agents and the key driving technologies which companies need to absorb NOW so they can benefit from the coming explosion of business agents.

From the Back Cover:

1102A-3

Preview the coming revolution in software intelligence!

• Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke

A new generation of intelligent software agents is about to arrive, capable of managing and organizing information, recognizing personal tastes, and making increasingly important decisions on behalf of their owners. The agent revolution represents an extraordinary opportunity for business and technical people who understand it. Intelligent Software Agents is the first comprehensive up-to-the-minute guide to this quickly maturing technology, its applications, and-above all-its implications.

• How today's agents work-and how they're different from their over-hyped predecessors
• Top agent applications in healthcare, finance, retail, media, government, and more
• Supercharging Web sites and e-commerce with agent technology
• The key players in the software industry and academia
• Standards and their role in agent development

Discover how agent technology is becoming increasingly adaptable, mobile, transparent, accountable, rugged, user-centered, and autonomous. Understand the challenges facing agent developers, including security, privacy, legal issues, control, and performance. Then, preview the future-including R&D on multi-agent systems, and on endowing agents with emotions, attitudes, culture, and multilingual expertise. Whether you're a business decision-maker or IT professional, Intelligent Software Agents is your guide to the future!

About this edition

• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0130110213
• ISBN 13: 9780130110213
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300