30 Oct
2013
30 Oct
'13
4:52 p.m.
> I took an "Expert Systems" class in
grad school. Not surprisingly, it was
> a bit of a disappointment, as the majority of examples really weren't
> anything more than implementations of troubleshooting flowcharts, and not
> very good ones at that. For example, one of the examples in the textbook
> was for troubleshooting motorcycle starting problems - if none of the
> prior tests found the problem it unequivocably declared the problem to be
> fuel tank vent. Sorry, but that is not a suitable fall-thru handler!
On Wed, 30 Oct 2013, Chuck Guzis wrote:
I should have qualified my statement with
"expertly executed flowchart".
But honestly, IBM and other manufacturers have relied upon them for
decades--and they also teach the underlying fundamentals.
I don't see anything wrong with the practice.
In principle, it works.
But, a badly done one, like my example, makes the whole idea seem bad.
I've seen some that were good enough that I could accomplish things beyond
my skill level.
A troubleshooting flowchart is as good as the skill of the guy who created
it.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com