[rules-users] Better way to run each rule once?

[James Owen]

[Warning:  This email may contain heretical thoughts.  Read at your  
own risk.]

Again, not knowing all of the facts and project requirements, I can  
only say that, so far, it sounds like a great problem for Java or C or  
C++.   I prefer C++ to Java and C but that's a personal thing based on  
not needing to have "Java Expert" on my CV in order to get a job.  (I  
do know Java and started with it way back in 1997 with version 0.9x  
but I don't consider myself an expert yet.)

The CLIPS rulebase is still the fastest bare-bones expert system  
except for OPSJ and TECH.  In addition, we have lots of experienced C+ 
+ programmers in the world and if we run low on C++ programmers then  
the Java programmers can be taught proper coding techniques and  
threading procedures not being used today.  [See?  I told you it was  
heresy.]  I wonder if Drools could be re-written in C++ ??  Sounds  
like a great project to me.  :-)

I say things like this, sometimes in jest and sometimes not, so that  
we, the techie programmers and developers, would stop and think about  
what we're doing and why.  Do we really need to have "Rulebase  
Programmer" on our CV so badly that we would use it where it is not  
needed?  I have seen rulebased systems used the wrong way on many  
projects and I just had to walk away.  But, enough philosophy for one  
evening.  Think about it and consider your own personal integrity - if  
you do you'll probably find yourself out of a job but you'll be  
happier while standing in the unemployment line and wondering "WHY??   
Why didn't I just keep my big mouth SHUT??".  <grin>

SDG
James Owen
Founder October Rules Fest
Senior Consultant / Architect KBSC
http://www.kbsc.com
http://www.OctoberRulesFest.org
Twitter: OctRulesFest
Blogs:
http://JavaRules.blogspot.com [Rulebased Systems Blog]
http://ORF2009.blogspot.com [October Rules Fest Blog]
http://exscg.blogspot.com/ [Expert Systems Consulting Group Blog]

"If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of  
giants."
Sir Isaac Newton in a letter to Robert Hooke, 5 Feb 1676

Come to October Rules Fest and stand on the shoulders of the Giants of  
the industry; if only for a week.



On Oct 9, 2009, at 8:13 PM, Dave Schweisguth wrote:

> James,
>
> On Fri, Oct 09, 2009 at 06:28:21PM -0500, James Owen wrote:
>> [...] The whole thing "sounds like" a procedural problem where  
>> values are
>> modified and rules are fired only once. [...]
>
> You're right, and I've felt bad about using this very powerful  
> system in
> such a limited way. Nonetheless Drools feels like an excellent fit  
> for us:
> we do have the requirement of having rules editable by non- 
> engineers, and
> Drools provides all of the structure around that that we'd otherwise  
> have
> had to come up with, plus a lot of room to grow. I've actually been
> wondering whether anyone would suggest a way to solve the problem by
> designing the rules and/or facts differently!
>
> I also left out various complications: we have other classes of  
> facts on
> the LHS, and Thing's attributes appear on the LHS as well as its
> unmodifiable properties. I considered a design where attributes were  
> first-
> class facts, but it seemed to run in to the same problem. I don't  
> think any
> of that goes against your basic point, however. What I wonder is  
> whether it's
> an inappropriate problem for the tool or merely inexpert use of the  
> tool.
>
> Cheers,
>
> -- 
> | Dave Schweisguth                           http://schweisguth.org/~dave/ 
>  |
> | Home: dave at schweisguth.org            Work: http://www.nileguide.com/ 
>  |
> | For compliance with the NJ Right to Know Act: Contents partially  
> unknown |
> _______________________________________________
> rules-users mailing list
> rules-users at lists.jboss.org
> https://lists.jboss.org/mailman/listinfo/rules-users

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.jboss.org/pipermail/rules-users/attachments/20091010/6e5804cb/attachment.html