Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: rbowman Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: naughty Python Date: 1 Jan 2026 20:05:24 GMT Lines: 30 Message-ID: References: <6decndo7ib2Df8z0nZ2dnZfqn_adnZ2d@giganews.com> <10iu02q$1029n$12@dont-email.me> <10iu3g7$11u10$3@dont-email.me> <10iutjt$1c0aq$2@dont-email.me> <10j5ics$3ohc6$1@paganini.bofh.team> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: individual.net 3vK8Q1+4tNGf/BM240TrQgPPu5fhtWgwT4NDIy2HBNCiziLWzX Cancel-Lock: sha1:ibAAlX+y+vf9fFXVBWvX7DRS5w0= sha256:5+uBa/HXJ5gwWODePoF0x0+v8Ps/2Ukgn6yAvqPBzAE= User-Agent: Pan/0.162 (Pokrosvk) Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:80245 alt.folklore.computers:232978 On Thu, 1 Jan 2026 10:30:54 -0000 (UTC), Waldek Hebisch wrote: > But are 'expert systems' really AI? Theoretically so called expert > system shells could do smart things, but examples I saw were essentially > a bunch of "if ... then ..." which could be written in almost any > programming language. One example of samewhat succesful 'expert system' > is supposed to guide a user trough installing Unix. Description > suggests that is is not smarter than modern Debian installer. And > nobody thinks that Debian installer is AI. I never thought so. Like you I've looked at Lisp and Prolog and came away with the thought 'you *could* use that approach but why would you? It adds nothing to C but obfuscation.' I don't think they call it an expert system but Arch Linux has a very detailed description of installing the system. There is also a sketchily maintained script that automates much of the process although the 'I use Arch btw' crowd considers that cheating. Then there is EndeavourOS and a couple of others that act like Debian, Ubuntu, or other installers and install Arch, throwing in several useful tools. Then there was 'fuzzy logic' that had its day although you don't hear much about it lately. Perhaps it was overtaken by neural networks. During training of a NN in successive iterations you calculate the loss function until you reach a point where it's 'good enough'. That technology is interesting that while you can define and explain each mathematical operation what's going on in the total sum is cloudy.