[alicebot-archcomm] [news] Alice is ALICE is not Alice and AIML is NOT a programming language

[Dr. Richard S. Wallace]

I represent the mathematical purity faction.  Everything should reduce to
axiomatic set theory.  If it does not, we are doing something wrong.

So there.

Dr. Rich

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ernest Lergon" <ernest@virtualitas.net>
To: <alicebot-archcomm@alice.sunlitsurf.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2002 3:06 PM
Subject: Re: [alicebot-archcomm] [news] Alice is ALICE is not Alice and AIML
is NOT a programming language


> Kim Sullivan wrote:
> >
> > Ernest Lergon wrote:
> > >
> > > Maybe my contribution is to preserve the purity of AIML as markup
> > > language from the view of a Perl programmer.
> >
> > Preserving the purity has sometimes led to bad results; 'purity' of the
> > human race (Hitler), of christian belief (Inquisition).
> >
> Hi Kim,
>
> why don't you send some storm troops to drag me to the court in Den Haag
> and call it 'humanitarian intervention'?
>
> I didn't realize yet, that programming in AIML causes severe collateral
> damages.
>
> But let's get serious:
>
> The opposite of 'purity' - in the sense I used it - is 'arbitraryness'.
>
> What is it worth to put every feature in AIML some script kiddies are
> croaking for on the general mailinglist?
>
> Maybe the main reason for my sharp reaction on the general list was,
> that I just was angry about some people's (not yours, Kim) attitude of
> "Why is X not possible in A, it is working in B, so A must have it too
> right now" or shorter "I want all and I want it now".
>
> We should not "load up AIML with all kinds of stuff we might later
> regret" - as Noel remarked.
>
> Therefore it might make more sense to discuss proposals to i.e. extend
> the pattern matching syntax with smart features like <pattern>ARE YOU
> SURE|CERTAIN</pattern> (See my other mail).
>
> > ...philosophical...
> >
> It was meant to be so.
>
> > As I said above, should the need arise there are already existing terms
to
> > differentiate ('bot' and 'aiml set').
> >
> I'm not dogmatic in terms - provided the distinction remains.
>
> > I can rewrite any perl program to use markup style syntax, that doesn't
> > stop it being a program.
> >
> Arrgggghhh, please, never ;-))
>
> > My point is, treating AIML as a programming language works.
> >
> I might be nearly convinced.
>
> Fighting about whether AIML is a programming language or not might be
> like - as Conan remarked - "arguing about indentations in source code".
> But wouldn't naming AIML a PL imply, that it's just another PL or that
> newbies without programming skills are quenched? See the specs "1.1
> Origin and Goals" in this context.
>
> If someone wants to look at AIML as PL - ok, but please avoid to
> emphasize this in public.
>
> Yours,
>
> Ernest
>
>
> --
>               ProgramV - Alice on Perl - available at
>                http://www.virtualitas.net/perl/aiml/
>
>       VIRTUALITAS - Manufacturer of fine OOPPS - since 1996
> *********************************************************************
> * VIRTUALITAS Inc.               *      http://www.virtualitas.net  *
> *                                *                                  *
> * European Consultant Office     *                                  *
> * Internationales Handelszentrum *                                  *
> * Friedrichstraße 95             *   contact:Ernest Lergon          *
> * 10117 Berlin / Germany         *    mailto:Ernest@virtualitas.net *
> *********************************************************************
>        PGP-Key http://www.virtualitas.net/Ernest_Lergon.asc
>
> _______________________________________________
> alicebot-archcomm mailing list
> alicebot-archcomm@alice.sunlitsurf.com
> http://alice.sunlitsurf.com/mailman/listinfo/alicebot-archcomm