The AI Engine

[the PF is] considerably more advanced than AIML,

I second that. I have converted one of my small bots to AIML at Pandorabots because the xml-talk page allows you to link the bot to IM programs and virtual worlds. Even for a small bot, I miss memories, seeks and PF scripts. I grumble every time I add AIML. Maybe that's me though. I can be grumpy.

Bev,

I've had no problems with math. I just screw up the answers sometimes to mess with people. Thanks for your response, though. I was feeling a bit shunned.

Sorry TC. I meant to say that to Unoriginal.

Unoriginal--please take 5889 to be to you. Sometimes my brain flips things.

I think what he's looking for is not a bot solving math problems, but rather being able to use math in the script, as part of conditional statements or whatever, the way you could with a programming language.

Yeah, that would be cool. I miss if ... then ... else statements. Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet when I was in programming.

Thanks Eugene. Those of us who don't program have no idea that one would do that in a programming language. To me, it seemed like he just wanted to do math, and it made no sense. . Sorry UnO.

Ok, you may as well keep teaching. Why do you need math in programming languages? What purpose does it serve?

Clerk, There is a joke in there somewhere. :-) I caught the Gore ref (he never really said that BTW) and If/then from grade school math, but you are still going over my non-programming and non-scripting head. Frankly, one of the great things about the PF is you don't need to know anything at all to build bots. :-)

Uh, it was intentional sarcasm (at Gore, not you, surely). There's some programming in this, for sure, but it's not like C, Fortran, Pascal, or heaven help us, machine language. It's easy enough that you can figure out most of the things on your own if you're patient. Obviously, I'm not patient. I was a programmer/comp sci student for about 10 years in the 80s and early 90s. For about fifteen years I've been a medievalist, teaching (help me Jesus) Freshman Comp. I ain't a-doin' that no more.

Would I be right in saying that Freshman Comp is a subject the yougsters take in universities in America to learn how to write essays correctly? If so, my condolences.

It could be worse. You could be teaching high school.

The Cerk, what will you tech now? or will you change fields all together? Will you write that great American novel (sorry to all you non Americans-writing the great American novel is one of the standard goals they feed kids here, just like growing up to be president or a professional basketball player).