Sharing and reusing rules-a feature comparison of five expert system shells

Compares the features we discovered while studying the production rules of five shells that reflect the products and features available on the market today: (1) The Integrated Reasoning Shell (TIRS); (2) Expert System Environment (ESE); (3) KnowledgeTool; (4) Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE); and (5) Official Production System Version 5 (OPS5). These shells represent traditional approaches to production rule systems, as well as newer approaches such as using rules in a hybrid environment. One result of our research is an understanding of the features of these shells and how they affect the sharing and reuse of rule information. We have organised the material into tables on controllable system characteristics, system capabilities, production rule capabilities, and data manipulation capabilities. Each lists several features and summarizes whether or how each shell supports them.<>