Aion Development System CAD/Chem

AionDS differs from most other expert tions can also be invoked from the comsystem shells. It was designed to be used mand line. Command keywords and obin industry by developers with Cobol ject types can be abbreviated, object backgrounds, in an IBM environment. names and scopes can include wildcards AionDS was originally an expert system (*), and contexts can be specified. Funcshell with a backward-chaining inference tion keys provide quick access to freengine. Since introduction, the product’s quently used functions, including a “hot” capabilities have been greatly expanded, key that invokes the editor for the object and it is now marketed as a complete deunder the cursor. velopment environment for traditional Various interface options can help business process automation applicamake navigation through the knowledge tions. It is available on platforms ranging base intuitive. While experienced develfrom Microsoft Windows to MVS, and opers often prefer the command line, can be used to develop stand-alone PC new developers prefer the easy-to-use applications, mainframe applications, menu interface. The command line can compiled modules called by existing trainvoke an editor or facility immediately, ditional applications, and client/server where multiple menus would otherwise applications. be needed. Function keys (especially the I started using the Aion Development ~ hot key) further increase the speed of System just over two years ago, a few months after I switched from an academic career to one in industry. I started with an academic’s point of view, primarily concerned with a checklist of characteristics that an expert system shell had to possess if I was to consider it acceptable.’ AionDS had most of the necessary items from the checklist, but so did a lot of other shells. My perspective on what is important has changed since then. Now that we have a few applications in production, the most critical issue is whether or not an application will crash. This is a very important question for me, since I really don’t want to carry a beeper. Happily, I don’t have to.