Rethinking Smart Objects: Building Artificial Knowledge with Objects (Advances in Object Technology Ser., No. 17)

Rasmus, Daniel W.

ISBN 10: 0521645492 / ISBN 13: 9780521645492

Published by Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1998

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rethinking Smart Objects: Building Artificial Knowledge with Objects (Advances in Object Technology Ser., No. 17)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521645492
• ISBN 13: 9780521645492
• Binding: Soft Cover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

With the overload of data and automation in today's information technology world, intelligent software is needed to control and filter the resultant chaos. Object-oriented programming breaks software and information into functional units. Artificial intelligence and knowledge software distribute these units and enable them to communicate and negotiate with each other. In Rethinking Smart Objects Daniel Rasmus, a regular columnist for Object Magazine, and an accomplished knowledge engineer, has surveyed his own body of work and gathered the most important and relevant material from his contributions to the magazine. This is the first book to explain the integration of object technology and knowledge software development.

Review

Adapted from a series of articles on the links between artificial intelligence and object- oriented programming, Rethinking Smart Objects is both a guide to where the two technologies meet and a pointer to where they might go in the future. Smart Objects represent the philosophy behind what could be the next generation of computer languages and applications.

Starting with the concept of Agents, Rethinking Smart Objects takes a structured approach to introducing its ideas and concepts. It's not long before you're learning about how ecologies and communities of smart objects might be created. As objects are to become "smart", they need to learn and the concept of knowledge--and how you use it in an object framework--is increasingly important. As a result, Rethinking Smart Objects proposes new methodologies, using Information Engineering as a basis for object design, as well as introducing the idea of client server AI.

Rethinking Smart Objects makes a compelling case for knowledge-based systems rather than traditional object languages, especially in the complex information systems of the modern business. There are plenty of examples throughout the book, showing how this mix of technologies can work and you can take heart in the fact that they're from the real world (and very big businesses at that!), not just research. A buyers guide to the available tools gives you pointers to how you might go about creating your own smart objects.

The book is well written and clear, but isn't really suited to the beginner. To get the most from this book you'll need a good understanding of object oriented programming.