Gozaresh-Computer #122 (English Section)
Anoosh Hosseini
GOZARESH-E-COMPUTER
Computer Report
Vol. 15, No. 122
November-December 1993
Publisher : Informatics Society of Iran (ISI)
President: Ebrahim N. Mashayekh
Vice-President: Ali Parsa
Secretary: Dr. Mehdi Beheshtian
Treasurer: Mohammad M. Abdollahi
Committees
Publishing: Ebrahim N. Mashayekh
Science and Technology: Mohammad M. Abdollahi
Education: Ebrahim Abtahi
Public Relations: Dr. Mohammad Sanati
Membership: Mohammad-Hassan Mehvari
(All activities done by the Board members are voluntarily)
Circulation: CR is published bimonthly by ISI. Please address your
subscription requests to: Anoosh Hosseini, P.O.Box 61622, Sunnyvale, CA
94088
USA, ano...@sgi.com
Annual subscription is included in membership fee. Non-member price: US$
30
per year ( 6 copies).
CR features original and translated articles, news and reviews on all
aspects
of computers in Iran and abroad.
Submissions: Submit you article to: The Editor, Computer Report,
P.O.Box 1196, Tehran 14155, IRAN, i...@irearn.bitnet. All submissions are
subject to editing for style, clarity and space consideration.
Editorial: Unless otherwise stated, articles and reports reflect the
author's opinion. Inclusion does not neccessarily imply approval of ISI.
Mailing List Rental: ISI lists are available for computer-related
products and services.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: ISI, P.O.Box 1196, Tehran 14155,
IRAN.
Copyright (c) 1993 by Informatics Society of Iran, all rights reserved.
Copying without fee is permitted with credit to the source.
CR's camera ready copies are produced using TeX-e-paarsi typesetting
system.
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%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% CONTENTS OF FARSI SECTION%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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Articles:
A Tool for Developing Expert Systems 24
Computer Crimes 56
Mind-Storms 46
Persian Character Set for Information Exchange 84
A Survey on Information Technology in Iran 73
Software:
Graphical User Interface (3) 94
Interview:
Dave Andrews: News Editor in Byte Magazine 40
Josef Weizenbaum: Professor of Computer Science in MIT 43
Reports:
Islamic Software Exhibition 54
Computer Market in 1993 88
Third Iranian Olympiad of Informatics 62
ANSI C++ or X3J16 93
Departments:
News 8
Letters 22
Technically Speaking 100
Calendar 98
Computer in Universities in the year 2025 71
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%%%%%%%%%%%%% N E W S %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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by: Amin Mohadjer
The Second Computer Conference
------------------------------
The Second Iranian Computer Conference
was held February 8-10th, in Iranian University of Science and Technology,
Tehran. A total of 40 papers (27 in Persian, 13 in English) were
presented.
A computer exhibition was held beside conference. Companies including,
Sinasoft, Pooya, HP Tone, Pars Systems Consultants, Baharak Computer,
Hooshyar
Inforamtic, and Nikassa took part in this exhibition. The conference was
organized by Computer Engineering Committee of Ministry of Higher Education
and was sponsored by IEE (Britain's Institute of Electrical Engineers),
Higher Council of Informatics, and Ministries of Industries and Heavy
Industries. ISI had its own stand in the exhibition where its publications
were put on display. To get a copy of conference proceedings, write to:
Conference Secretary, Faculty of Computer Engineering, Iranian University
of
Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran 16844 or call 771046 (fax: 770197).
Science, Technology, and Development Seminar:
The Second Seminar of Science,
Technology, and Development was held January 26-28th, Tehran.
Amir Kabir Technical University played host to this conference. Of a total
of
170 papers submitted to conference committee, 50 were accepted and
subsequently
presented in the conference. An exhibition featuring research activities
of
Amir Kabir University was held parallel to the conference. ISI attended
the
exhibition, having a stand of its own.
Iranian Law on Electronic Medium
--------------------------------
Gostareh Negar (GN) of Tehran has developed
LIS, a hypertext Law Information System covering country's civil,
commercial,
and criminal laws among others.
Two years in making, LIS employs fast, effective search algorithms
supporting
fuzzy, boolean, and index keyword search operations. Logical operators can
be used along with search keywords. Search keywords can also be
grouped together using separators and boolean operators to generate complex
search enquires. Wildcards are acceptable as well.
Several windows can be opened simultaneously, each holding a different
article.
Windows can be moved and are resizable and users can switch between windows
with a single keystroke. The level of security built into LIS has been of
primary concern, according to Ali Cazi, GN's managing director. All data
files are encrypted to prevent unauthorized access and modification.
The user interface is based on GN's Persian incarnation of Borland's Turbo
Vision, Multilingual Turbo Vision and is easy to use. LIS comes with a
context sensitive help and a Persian user's guide. GN plans to release an
Arabized version soon.
The company has already introduced several Persian products to Iran's
market
including, popular GN word processor and Gostareh spreadsheet.
EECC 94
-------
The 3rd International Electricity, Electronics, Computer,&
Communications exhibition will be held April 24-29, 1994 in Tehran, Iran.
The last occasion of the show which was held in April 1992 had national
participants from Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Turkey, Taiwan, and USA. It
covered an exhibition space of 15,000 square meters and 30,000 visitors
were registered. 125 domestic companies and 200 foreign participants
attended the EECC 1992.
This year's show is expected to be the biggest ever as a growing number
of computer companies have arrived in the country since 1992.
EECC 94 is supported by all the relevant Iranian ministries and
state-owned
organizations. The show is organized by Export Promotion Centre of
Iran, an affiliation of Ministry of Commerce.
Informix Exports Strategic Relationship with Pegah Informix,
-----------------------------------------------------------
the Unix database and 4GL company, have awarded the distribution contract
for Iran to the Pegah Computer Company, based in Tehran, Iran. This
follows the recent signing of a new strategic agreement between the two
companies at Gitex '93 in Dubai. Previously, Iran was handled as part
of the Informix Gulf region, managed by Infodata, the Gulf regional
office. Informix will maintain its relationships with four other
companies in Iran : Pooya, one of Iran's largest
private sector IT suppliers; Rayaneh Saz, an experienced dealer and
manufacturer; Tahlil Garan Systems, a specialist accounting software VAR
recognized for its excellent Persian DOS and Unix solutions; and Negareh
Computer Company, SUN's exclusive distributor in Iran and a supplier of
solutions for the government, health and education markets.
Internet Connectivity for Iran
------------------------------
Iranian Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and
Mathematics (IPM) has recently announced that the country's full Internet
connectivity has been achieved following the recognition of IPM as a class
C
Internet node. Five hundred IP numbers have been handed over to IPM to be
distributed to country's universities and academic institutions. Following
an
agreement with officials from Vienna University, the Internet traffic from
Iran is to be carried on a Tehran-Vienna international leased line which
also
carries EARN traffic. The data transfer speed on this line is 9600 bps. The
Internet connectivity provides Iranian academia with a range of new network
services such as Telnet, FTP, World-Wide Web, WHOIS, WAIS and finger.
EARN Connectivity for Universities
----------------------------------
Currently, Isfahan Technical University
and Sharif Technical University are connected to IPM through 9600 bps
leased
lines and have access to international networks. Amir Kabir and Tehran
Universities are to be connected by the time you read this. Gilan and
Isfahan
Universities will jump on the bandwagon soon. IPM is determined to have
10 universities connected to the network by year end. The service offered
by
IPM to universities is free but they are supposed to apply for leased lines
from Iranian PTT. The backbone of country's national data network will be
built upon universities.
Persian Word Processor for Sun
------------------------------
Tehran-based Sadegh Negar has announced the
availability of Sun Negar bilingual Persian/English word processor for Sun
platforms. The company represents Tatung, a Taiwanese Sun clone maker.
Negar runs under Open Windows graphical environment and is apparently the
first Persian word processor developed for Sun platforms. Sun Negar
features
include search/replace, several Persian, Arabic, and Latin typefaces, mixed
typesetting of Persian and Latin texts, block operation, and Persian help
and
error messaging. Sun Negar also brings Persian support to electronic
messaging (e-mail) so the users on a network served by a Sparc machine and
exchange electronic mail in Persian. Sadegh Negar also offers Tatung PCs
beside its SuperComp and Comp workstaions. The company has sold strongly
to
IRI Broadcasting which uses these Sparc machines to generate computer
graphics
images and effects for TV commercials. Tatung workstaions are Sun
compatible
and run Sun OS (Sun version of UNIX). Pegah, the newly appointed Iranian
representative of Informix along with Hooshyar Informatics offer DTK
workstations, another Taiwanese Sun clone.
HP Changes The Guard
--------------------
US company Hewlett-Packard, well-known in Iran for its
family of laser printers has discontinued working with its Iranian
representative, HP Tone. HP has announced that Behineh Pardazi and Dadeh
Pardazi of Iran (ex-IBM) will act as HP's new authorized distributors.
However, HP Tone will continue offering entire HP product lines and
supporting those machines already sold, said Mansoor Shakeri from HP Tone
when contacted for comments. In a similar move, Delliran who first started
as Iranian distributor of Dell Computer has announced that it is now
offering
Zeos machines.
Sinasoft Shocks the Market with Persian Windows
-----------------------------------------------
In an unexpected move, Tehran-based Sinasoft, one of the country's most
well-known software companies announced the availability of its Persian
edition of Microsoft Windows graphical environment. Sinasoft's Persian
Windows is based on Arabic API standards developed by Microsoft for the
handling of Arabic and other languages such as Persian and Urdu which write
from right to left. Sinasoft' s Persian Windows provides users with a
native
right-to-left Persian environment under which all Latin Windows
applications
can be run without any problem. The contents of menus now appear in Persian
and several scalable Persian typefaces including, Zar, Traffic, Nazanin,
Titr,
and Badr, originally developed for version 2.0 of Sinasoft's popular
desktop
publishing package, Zarnegar are now embedded in company's Persian Windows.
Since Persian and Arabic Windows are based on the same APIs, any software
developed under Persian Windows will support Arabic automatically when ran
under Arabic Windows, said Mohammad Sanati, Sinasoft's managing director.
"This will surely help Iranian developers in their efforts toward exporting
software to Middle Eastern markets." Sanati concludes.
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Get on the Internet
by Amin Mohadjer
The emergence of nationwide computer networks is yet to be seen in
Middle
East and Central Asian countries. Although the telecommunication
infrastructure needed to support a national data network already exists
in a majority of Middle East countries, the demand for networking
services
is not high enough to persuade the private sector to invest in a
project of this size. Like other countries which have national networks
in place, it is believed that the initial steps toward building national
networks should be taken by national governments.
Despite this, international networks are accessible from several Middle
East
countries. Currently, there are campus-wide computer networks in the
majority of the region's leading universities, some of them connected
to
international networks through leased lines. GULFNET is up and running in
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Reportedly, there is also an Internet node in
Kuwait.
In Iran, the Institute for Studies in Theoretical
Physics and Mathematics (IPM) is the
country's representative in Europe's biggest network, EARN (European
Academic and Research Network). This connects universities and research
centers in over 40 European, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and African
countries.
More than 3000 computers in 600 research institutes are on EARN and the
number of researchers who have access to it is now well over 100,000.
Its
protocols and architecture closely resemble that of BITNET, NETNORTH,
and
GULFNET therefore all these networks can talk to each other. It's
possible
to communicate with many other networks such as Internet, NSFNET, and
JANET
through gateways attached to EARN. The data transfer speed on EARN's
backbone
is 9600 to 2 Mega bits per second (bps) and almost all members are using
leased lines for the purpse of connection.
Quite recently, Iran made connection with Internet. Iran's node is of
class C
type and is located in
IPM. Five hundred IP numbers have been handed over to IPM to be
distributed
to country's universities and academic institutions. The Internet
traffic
from Iran will be carried on Tehran - Vienna international leased line
which
also carries EARN traffic. The data transfer speed on this line is 9600
bps.
Egypt, India, Turkey, Cyprus, and Tunisia are also connected to EARN.
Saudi
Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Azerbaijan, and
Georgian
Republic are to be connected by early 1994. Turkey is the only one which
also has its own national network named TURVAKA.
Although Earn connectivity in the region may be seen as the first step
toward
establishing
complete national data networks, it's very unlikely that EARN's
academic
spirit will appeal to business users. Some business and corporate users
in
the region are already subscribed to the service offered by
commercial
service providers such as CompuServe and AT&T Easy Link. The costs
include paying for international phone calls and subscription to these
services. Users of these services can send and receive e-mail to and from
Internet and other networks and, thanks to proper communications software,
they can write their email and read newly-arrived mail off line on their
machines so the connection time will be kept low.
The Internet is a combination of thousands of computer networks
reaching
millions of people all over the world. The Internet consists of
computers
of many different architectures. using many different communication
links (leased lines, X.25. ISDN. etc.) to exchange information.
Internet was originally based on 3,000 TCP/IP networks which were build
by US
research and academic institutions. The current Internet (that's today,
as
I write this article) consists of more than 5000 networks literally
spanning the globe. It extends to 45 countries on all seven continents.
The ``Mother of the Internet'' was just one network called the ARPANET
which began as a US Government experiment in packet-switched
networking
back in 1969. Although the original purpose was to provide researchers
with access to expensive hardware and sometimes software resources,
the
Internet has demonstrated such speed and effectiveness as a
communication
medium that it has transcended the original mission.
In the early 1980s more coordinated networks, such as the Computer
Science
Network (CSNET) and BITNET, began providing nationwide networking
to
the academic and research communities. Although these networks are
not
part of the Internet, special connections were made to allow the exchange
of
information between the various communities.
It's been estimated that between 5 and 10 million people use Internet
itself
and that in excess of 15 million people can exchange messages between
it
and all of other interconnecting networks such as BITNET (But It's
Time
Net) and EARN (European Academic and Research Network.) Two years ago,
there were 727,000 Internet registered computers and there should be
almost two million by now as the growth trend is exponential.
The overwhelming majority of machines on the Internet run TCP/IP comms
protocol (short for Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol.)
Generally, systems call each other at administrator-defined intervals to
exchange information. Some of the information that system A gives to
system
B may be for system B, some may be for system C, which communicates
with system B. Another part may be for system D, which communicates
with
system B via C.
The standards, or protocols, that Internet uses are considered open,
meaning that they enable disparate computer from many vendors to talk to
each other. Although the Internet was originally a TCP/IP network,
that
isn't the only protocol that is considered open. The still-evolving Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocols developed by ISO are being
used
in some networks on the Internet. So even though most of the computers
speak
TCP/IP. the Internet is officially considered a
``multi-protocol'' network.
There are three TCP/IP applications available to all Internet users-
electronic mail, remote login, and file transfer. There are also plenty
of
fancier applications using variations or combinations of these basic
tools.
E-mail or messaging, is the most commonly available and most
frequently
used service. Like other e-mail services, it lets you write and send a
text
message to another person or to whole group of people. The difference
is
in Internet's scope: millions of people all over the globe are
accessible:
all you need to know is the address of the recipient.
The format of address consists of user and domain names as userid
@organization name. The organization name may be of several forms. For
example, a name with the suffix.com is a commercial company. The suffix
edu signifies an educational institution. And .gov means a governmental
group. An e-mail address on a business card means ``You can reach me.''
In
addition to private messages, the Internet also supports dozens of
mailing
lists on various topics, as well as social lists not tied to a
particular
topic.
Remote login is an interactive tool that allows you to access the data
and
applications available on another computer (remote login is also known as
telnet, after the name of the command that provides this function). For
example, you can remote login to a supercomputer in NASA to get the
latest
details on rocket launches or weather forecasting.
File transfer of FTP allows files to be transferred from one computer
to
another. A file can be a document, graphics, software and even sounds.
Anonymous FTP is similar to remote login. It lets an organization set up
an
anonymous guest account and place in it files and archival information
that
the organization is willing to disseminate freely. For example, many
text
files about the Internet and software that lets you connect to it from
non-UNIX systems are available through anonymous FTP.
Resources on Internet are useful things one can access: hardware like
supercomputers, graphics labs, computer centers, or printers. Or online
information like the wealth of databases, documents, software, archives,
pictures, and sounds. Hundreds of the world's electronic libraries are
accessible. People can also be invaluable resources - one can talk to a
group of people to figure out the answer to a question or problem.
There
are also mailing lists and conferencing systems.
Another service available is called network news. ``News'' in the network
world refers not only to current events from the newswires but also to
discussions, interest groups, and conferences. There are thousands of
different discussion groups on topics ranging from technical stuff on
nearly
every facet of computer science (the comp. groups) to various social
and
recreational subjects (soc. and rec.), from artificial intelligence to
Israeli-PLO peace initiative, and from politics to Bungee jumping. News
is
transmitted on the USENET network, which has special relationships and
connections with some of the other networks comprising Internet. Two and
a
half million people participate in UseNet.
The sad thing about the Internet for businesses and corporate users is
that
since Internet is funded by Government, transmission of ``commercial''
information is not allowed, whereas all information in support of academic
and research activities is acceptable. However, it's going to change
as
currently US congress is under much pressure to allow businesses to use
Internet for commercial purposes. Service providers such as IBM and
MCI
are looking at ways of offering an alternative to Internet to carry
commercial traffic.
Regarding costs of getting on the net, those who have access to the
Internet
through an organization, such as a university or a larg company, don't
have
to worry how much they use the Internet. Their communication with
people
from all over the world and access to most information resources is not
going to show up ized on a long-distance bill, because the leased lines or
network links are already paid for. On the contrary, individuals must
get
their access from commercial Internet providers or public access
Internet
sites. Access for those with a computer and a modem is usually through
a
local telephone call to a terminal server or computer owned by a service
provider. The costs can vary, but usually you ar paying a one-time
initial
cost and a flat rate monthly fee. For example, in UK, for 155 pounds a
year
(excluding VAT) Demon Internet Systems issues you an IP number, so you
can
act as a Internet Node through a dial up service with unlimited access
time
to Internet. Other providers might add usage charges to your bill.
However, people in remote areas
or foreign countries as Middle East which have no direct access to
Internet
via a local Internet node, must make expensive long-distance calls to
send
and receive electronic mail or to access resources. Lots of companies, even
in
Middle East, are already reaping the benefits of exchanging e-mail via
the
Internet, using a commercial service like MCI mail, AT&T Easylink, Apple
Link, or CompuServe. That alone gives them the ability to send and
receive
data from customers and contacts on online sevices. Bulletin Board
Systems
(BBSs), and e-mail systems that swap mail with the Internet.
The benefits of hooking up to the Internet can not be underestimated. As
a
reliable and powerful medium of communication, a user can virtually talk
with
all other estimated 15 million users regarding whatever might be of
interest
to both talking sides. Even through a fax gateway it is possible to
send
international fax messages to any fax machine while only paying the cost
of
local phone calls.
It is not easy to keep track of all the new developments in
internetworking.
The amount of traffic on the Internet has been increasing 10
percent
per month, and the number of new applications and services has been
growing almost as quickly. It's time to get on the Net.
Copyright 1994 by Amin Mohadjer
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Question and Aswers (humor)
[Q:] How many operating systems are required to screw in a light bulb?
[A:] Just one-Microsoft is making a special version of Windows for it.
[Q:] How many Microsoft technical support staff does it take to screw in
a light bulb?
[A:] It burned out? You must be using a non-standard socket.
[Q:] How many software designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
[A:] That's a hardware problem.
[A:] Two-one always leaves the company in the middle of a big project.
[A:] One, but if he changes it the whole building will fall down.
[Q:] How many Bell Labs Vice presidents does it take to change a light
bulb?
[A:] That's proprietary information. Answer available from AT&T on
payment
of license fee (binary only).
[A:] Nearly unanswerable, since the one who tries to change it usually
drops it, and the others call for a planning session.
[A:] Three. One to get the bulb and two to get the phone number of one
of
their subordinated to actually change it.
[Q:] How many Californians does it take to change a light bulb?
[A:] Six. One to turn the bulb, one for support, and four to relate
to the experience.
[Q:] How many consultants does it take to change a light bulb?
[A:] I'll have and estimate for you a week from Monday.
[A:] We don't know. They never get past the feasibility study.
[Q:] How many Arabs does it take to change a lightbulb?
Only one, but it took three U.S. advisors to tell them that it was
[A:] burnt out in the first place.
[Q:] How many Chinese students does it take to change a lightbulb?
[A:] Twelve: one to screw in the lightbulb, one to sit in the jail,
and ten to demonstrate on the streets.
[Q:] How many Chinese Red Guards does it take to screw in a ligh bulb?
[A:] Ten thousand to give it a Cultural Revolution.
[Q:] How many Unix Support staff does it take to screw in a light bulb?
[A:] Read the man page!
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EARN member profile: Iran
By Ebrahim N. Mashayekh
Greetings from the Institute for Studies in Theroetical Physics and
Mathematics (IPM) in Tehran, Iran. Our Institute, which was founded in
1989, is housed in three buildings in the northeastern corner of
Tehran, 1800 meters above sea level in the foothills of Mount Damavand
in
the Alborz mountains.
The purposes of the IPM are:
* to initiate research projects in physics and mathematics,
* to encourage regional and international cooperation through
seminars and conferences,
* to foster cooperation among Iranian universities and other research
centers.
IPM was accepted as Iran's representative to EARN in January 1991. At
first, a PC was connected via remote dial-up to an IBM mainframe running
VM/CMS at the Johannes Keppler University in Linz, Austria.
On January 18, 1992, the first electronic mail from Iran was sent,
containing greetings from the Iranian representative to the EARN Board
of Directors, Dr. Mohammad J. Larijani, to the EARN President, Dr. Frode
Greisen. During the first nine months of operation, more than 800
messages were sent, and nearly 1300 messages were received.
In the second phase of connecting Iran to EARN, a Microvax 3100/20E was
installed in IPM's computing department to act as the server of the node.
A Jnet mailer was successfully installed on this machine, and using a
leased line to Austria, IPM officially became Iran's node in EARN on
December 18th, 1992.
Besides EARN membership, IPM has also been accepted as a class C
network
on the Internet. Now, 512 IP addresses have been received and the IP
link will be brought up soon. Through a 9600 bps leased line to
Europe,
IPM is now linked to virtulally every major network in the world.
Presently, IPM's local network consists of a Microvax 3100/20E which
serves as the gateway system to the Internet, connected to about 24
PCs linked together in a Netware LAN. An ICL DRS-6000 SuperMini system has
been ordered and should be installed in the near future.
Esfahan University of Technology, Sharif University of Thechnology in
Tehran,
Amir Kavir University in Tehran and the Faculty of Engineering of
the University of Tehran have recently been connected to this network,
and other major universities will be linked up over the next six
months.
There are also two dial-up lines for the system, available 24 hours a
day.
At the moment, there are more than 250 dial-up users.
For a variety of reasons, Unix has been chosen as the environment for
future extensions of the network in Iran, and TCP/IP has been adopted
as the network protocol. Relatively poor communication facilities in
Iran has been the major obstacle in extending network services
throughout the country, but now the necessary steps are gradually being
taken to move toward providing the infrastructure needed for
establishing and maintaining a national network.
I hope that I have been able to give you some insight into our networking
situationn in Iran. As our network expands throughout the country,
we hope that Iranian researchers will be able to have closer contact
with their colleagues around the world. I am sure that in the near future
we can have better and closer cooperation. Our world is shrinking
rapidly!
Reprinted from: ``the EARN Newsletter'', No. 8, Jan. 1994
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Logic, Linguistics and Computing
We take the liberty to inform you that a new association for Persian
logic, linguistics and computing has been formed. The focus of this
association is on different dialects of the Persian languages which are
spoken in Iran: languages such as modern Persian, Tajiki, Dari,
Kurdish and other Iranian languages.
The objective of this association is to promote research and
application of Persian, Linguistics and Computing by providing a forum
for exchange of information and ideas among all those interested
and involved in these fields (researchers, developers, users, sponsors
and other individuals or institutions). This will be accomplished
through a mailing list of those interested. We hope that this will
also foster the coordination of academic research projects and industrial
development projects.
The interest areas of this association include but are not limited to:
persian Logic
Philosophy of language
Philosophical logic
Fuzzy logic and other non-standard logics
Islamic and traditional logic (from Ibn-Sina up to now)
Comparative study of Islamic/Western logic
** Shikholraees Abou Ali Sina (i.e. Ibn-Sina) is called `Avicenna' in
the west.
Persian Linguistics
Phonology and prosody
Morphology
Syntax
Semantics (formal and descriptive)
Pragmatics and discourse
Persian psycholinguistic studies
Applied Linguistics
Persian Computing
Parsing
Generation
Machine Translation
Computer Assisted Language Learning
Persian Corpora and Lexicons
Optical Character Recognition and Persian fonts
In the future we intend to distribute an electronic newsletter for the
people connected to the network which will also be available in
hard copy for people who have no access to the network. In addition to
short items of common interest, the newsletter will/may contain longer
contributions related to the interest areas of this association.
In setting up this association we have been encouraged and motivated
by the works of these people:
Persian Linguistics:
A group of linguists working on Persian and dispersed throughout the
world. We are especially grateful to:
Dr Simin Karimi,
Linguistics Dept of Arizona Univ.,
Tucson, USA
Cultural Research Institute, Tehran, Iran. We are especially grateful to:
Dr Ziaa Movahed.
Cultural Research Institute,
Tehran, Iran
persian Computing:
Dr Behrooz Parhami, Dr Mehrdad Fahimi and their supervised students.
We are especially grateful to:
Dr Mehrdad Fahimi.
Dept of Computer Sc. and Eng., Sharif Univ.,
Tehran, Iran
The mailing list for this association is maintained from the Centre
for Cognitive Science (University of Edinburgh). We are grateful to
this centre for supporting this association; special thanks goes to
Dr Steven Bird, Dr Elisabet Engdahl and Dr Ewan Klein. We are also
indebted to Roger Burroughes and Kevin Davidson for setting up the
mailing list.
For further information please contact APL2C at:
ap...@cogsci.ed.ac.uk
Siamak Rezae
Keyvan Maleki
Hossein Kamaly
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