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SNePS-2.1 (Rev. 1.400) released under the terms of the GNU GPL



SNePS is a powerful package.  It appears to fit right in with Lojban.
In addition to creating Lojban based diagnostic systems and other such
tools, someone might be able to use this to create an interactive
Lojban tutor, or even a more interesting interlocuter.

Does anyone know more about SNePS?  Comments?  Reviews?  Proposals?

    Robert J. Chassell               bob@gnu.ai.mit.edu
    Rattlesnake Mountain Road        bob@grackle.stockbridge.ma.us
    Stockbridge, MA 01262-0693 USA   (413) 298-4725

Date: Sat, 18 Sep 93 20:16:43 EDT
From: hans@cs.buffalo.edu (Hans Chalupsky)
Subject: SNePS-2.1 (Rev. 1.400) released under the terms of the GNU GPL

The new release of SNePS-2.1 (Rev. 1.400) is now publicly available
under the terms of the GNU General Public License (previously it was
only available for a small licensing fee). You can retrieve it via
anonymous FTP from `ftp.cs.buffalo.edu' (128.205.32.9) in file
`/pub/sneps/rel-1-400.tar.Z' (detailed instructions below).

------------- from the README file --------------
WHAT IS SNePS ?
===============
SNePS is the Semantic Network Processing System. Its first version was
designed by Stuart C. Shapiro in the early seventies, and it has been
developed since by Shapiro et al. (see the `bibliography.ps' file in the
distribution for a list of SNePS related publications). SNePS is the
implementation of a fully intensional theory of propositional knowledge
representation and reasoning.

Here is a short summary of the major features and components of the current
version of SNePS (aka SNePS-2.1):

  + A module for creating and accessing propositional semantic networks
  + Path-based inference
  + Node-based inference based on SWM (a relevance logic with quantification)
    that uses natural deduction and can deal with recursive rules
  + forward, backward and bi-directional inference
  + Nonstandard logical connectives and quantifiers
  + An assumption based TMS for belief revision
  + A morphological analyzer and a generalized ATN (GATN) parser for parsing
    and generating natural language
  + SNePSLOG, a predicate-logic-style interface to SNePS
  + XGinseng, an X-based graphics interface for displaying, creating and
    editing SNePS networks
  + SNACTor, a preliminary version of the SNePS Acting component
  + SNIP 2.2, a new implementation of the SNePS Inference Package that uses
    rule shadowing and knowledge migration to speed up inference.

SNIP 2.2 is one of the results of Joongmin Choi's dissertation [1]. As of now
it is not fully merged with the main SNePS release, but it should be merged
soon to become the primary inference engine for SNePS.

Another upcoming development is the implementation of SNeRE (the SNePS
Rational Engine) which is one of the main results of Deepak Kumar's
dissertation about the integration of inference and acting [2]. It will
replace the current implementation of SNACTor.


LICENSING INFORMATION:
======================
Since June 1993 SNePS is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any later version.


MAILING LIST:
=============
If you use SNePS please send a short message to `shapiro@cs.buffalo.edu' and
`snwiz@cs.buffalo.edu' indicating that. Please also let us know whether you
want to be put on the SNUG (SNePS Users Group) mailing list. Notices about new
releases and other SNePS related information will be communicated on that
list.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
====================
COMMON-LISP: SNePS without the optional graphics stuff is written entirely in
Common-Lisp (as defined in Guy Steele's CLtL-I), hence, every proper
implementation of CLtL-I should be sufficient to run SNePS - in theory.
In practice, SNePS runs successfully in the following Common-Lisp
implementations (these Lisps are actually available to me for testing of the
current SNePS release):

  + Allegro CL 4.1      (on Sun SPARCs, SunOS 4.1.3)
  + Sun/Lucid CL 4.0    (on Sun SPARCs, SunOS 4.1.3)
  + TI Common-Lisp      (on TI-Explorers I/II, Rel.6.1)
  + CLISP May-93        (on Sun SPARCs, SunOS 4.1.3)
  + CMU Common-Lisp 17b (on Sun SPARCs, SunOS 4.1.3)

Previous versions of SNePS ran successfully (or were reported to run) in the
following Common-Lisp implementations, hence, there is a significant chance
that the current version will run too (or will require only minor
modifications to make it run):

  + Symbolics CL         (on a 3620, Genera 7.2 or 8.0)
  + AKCL 1.600 and higher
  + VAX Common-Lisp
  + Allegro CL running on a Macintosh

Look at part 4 of the Lisp FAQ available via anonymous ftp from
`pit-manager.mit.edu' in directory `/pub/usenet/news.answers/lisp-faq' to find
out from where you can obtain free Common-Lisp implementations such as CLISP,
CMU Common-Lisp or AKCL.

OPERATING SYSTEM: Apart from the Lisp machines, all hardware platforms
available to me run some flavor of Unix, but there is no requirement to that
extent - again, in theory. SNePS uses an implementation of logical pathnames
(see below) that hides the underlying operating system pretty well (so far it
only supports Unix, VMS, Symbolics and Explorers, but extensions for DOS
(attractive with the advent of CLISP) or even Macs shouldn't be too hard to
write). The only requirement is the availability of a hierarchical file
system (lenience with regard to filename length will also help).

DISK SPACE: You will need about 10 Megabytes of disk space to install SNePS.
Once you have completed the installation you might be able to trim this to
about 5 Meg by compressing/deleting Lisp source files and/or documentation.
Here's a rough breakdown on what takes up how much space:

  + Complete distribution:  5.8 Meg
  + Documentation:          2.2 Meg  (included in the distribution)
  + Compiled files:         3.5 Meg  (for Allegro-CL 4.1)

GRAPHICS: An optional X-based graphics interface called XGinseng is now
available. XGinseng was written by Martin Zaidel and extended by John Lewocz.
It is built on top of the Garnet Toolkit developed at CMU.  Garnet is now in
the public domain and can be retrieved via anonymous ftp. For instructions on
how to get Garnet read the file `GARNET' in the `Doc' directory. The current
version of XGinseng is only tested with Garnet 2.1. It should also work with
the new Garnet 2.2 - in theory.


GETTING SNePS - FTP INSTRUCTIONS:
=================================
To retrieve SNePS via anonymous FTP connect to `ftp.cs.buffalo.edu'
(128.205.32.9), login as user `anonymous' and supply your e-mail address as a
password. Then cd to the directory `/pub/sneps', change the transmission mode
to binary and retrieve the file `rel-x-yyy.tar.Z' (fill in the correct `x-yyy'
according to the directory listing). The `README' file and the bibliography
and manual files are all part of the distribution, they are just there
separately so you can get a hold of them without unpacking the complete
distribution. See the following script for more details (done on a UNIX host):

    > ftp ftp.cs.buffalo.edu
    Connected to talos.cs.buffalo.edu.
    220 talos.cs.Buffalo.EDU FTP server (SunOS 4.1) ready.
    Name (ftp.cs.buffalo.edu:snwiz): anonymous
    331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
    Password:snwiz@cs.buffalo.edu

    230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
    ftp> cd /pub/sneps
    250 CWD command successful.
    ftp> dir
    200 PORT command successful.
    150 ASCII data connection for /bin/ls (128.205.32.11,1543) (0 bytes).
    total 3726
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012        17982 Sep 16 23:19 COPYING
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012         8714 Sep 16 23:19 GARNET
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012          777 Sep 16 23:47 INFO
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012        16791 Sep 16 23:19 README
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012        21771 Sep 16 23:40 bibliography.bib.Z
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012        48360 Sep 16 23:40 bibliography.ps.Z
    drwxr-xr-x  2 0        11            512 Jun 18  1991 bin
    drwxr-xr-x  2 0        11            512 Jun 18  1991 etc
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012          908 Sep 16 23:52 genbib.tex.Z
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012       237381 Sep 16 23:39 manual.ps.Z
    -rw-r-----  1 612      310       1732906 Jan 19  1993 rel-1-308.tar.Z
    -rw-r--r--  1 612      3012      1693670 Sep 17 00:25 rel-1-400.tar.Z
    226 ASCII Transfer complete.
    801 bytes received in 0.082 seconds (9.5 Kbytes/s)
    ftp> get README
    200 PORT command successful.
    150 ASCII data connection for README (128.205.32.11,1544) (16791 bytes).
    226 ASCII Transfer complete.
    local: README remote: README
    17134 bytes received in 0.081 seconds (2.1e+02 Kbytes/s)
    ftp> binary
    200 Type set to I.
    ftp> get rel-1-400.tar.Z
    200 PORT command successful.
    150 Binary data connection for rel-1-400.tar.Z (128.205.32.11,1545) (1693670
 bytes).
    226 Binary Transfer complete.
    local: rel-1-400.tar.Z remote: rel-1-400.tar.Z
    1693670 bytes received in 3.5 seconds (4.7e+02 Kbytes/s)
    ftp> bye
    221 Goodbye.
    >

Sorry, you can only retrieve SNePS via FTP, we do not have the manpower to
make tapes.

<stuff deleted>

References:
===========
[1] Joongmin Choi: "Experience-Based Learning in Deductive Reasoning Systems",
    Ph.D. Thesis, Technical Report #93-20, Department of Computer Science,
    State University of New York at Buffalo, 1993

[2] Deepak Kumar: ""From Beliefs and Goals to Intentions and Actions -- An
    Amalgamated Model of Acting and Inference",  Ph.D. Thesis, Department of
    Computer Science, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1993


------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
Hans Chalupsky                      | I would love to be out water skiing,
                                    | but I just can't find any downhill
hans@cs.buffalo.edu                 | lakes.
------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------