> clive spenser wrote:

> > Can we confirm that Prolog is/was a (important) part of Tivoli?

> Yes, it is the basis of the Tivoli Enterprise Console (T/EC) product.
> However, clients do not generally directly work with Prolog.  Tivoli created
> a "rule language" and implemented it in Prolog, and the rule language is
> what most clients work with (actually, many clients actually work with a GUI
> that generates rules in the rule language).  You can pretty much freely mix
> Prolog with the rule language, which is handy for anyone wanting to imbue
> their rules with nifty stuff driven by an inference-engine (Chrysler has
> done this, though I don't know the extent to which they take advantage of
> it).  Tivoli embedded the BIM Prolog product, which is currently owned and
> marketed by IT Masters:

>     http://www.itmasters.com

> In my latest conversation with IT Masters however, they indicated that
> actual information about the embedded version can only be obtained from
> IBM/Tivoli.  The manuals for BIM Prolog cost US$30,000 (that is, you must
> purchase the product to read the manuals); you read that number right, it is
> the cost of a fairly nice car.

> > Is it a success?

> What do you define as success?  :-)  Seriously though, the T/EC is a *very*
> popular product with clients, so IMHO it is a great success.  A license for
> T/EC  is US$65,000, and they sell like hotcakes.

> > How can we find out more?

> Documentation on the rule language is available, though it is slightly
> oblique in a few areas.  Documentation on the embedded BIM Prolog itself
> however, is not generally available unless you are a Tivoli customer, and
> you need to talk to your Tivoli account manager for details.

> > Is anyone able to talk about this in public?

> Yup, it is just that these gorpy details of Tivoli are generally not that
> well known; many clients still work mostly with the GUI of Tivoli, and
> coding in the rule language, much less the Prolog that backs it, is still
> considered a little esoteric at some sites (this is changing though, thank
> goodness).  I consult on Tivoli, and that is the only reason I know this
> trivia.  Feel free to email me for further details.

> ---
> Anthony
> tyen -> at -> netcom -> dot -> com