Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: magnus@thep.lu.se (Magnus Olsson)
Subject: Re: Computer writes a book?
Message-ID: <1993Jan26.100615.4218@pollux.lu.se>
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Organization: Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Sweden
References: <25JAN199314110698@rigel.tamu.edu> <1993Jan26.084928.16437@ulrik.uio.no>
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 10:06:15 GMT
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In article <1993Jan26.084928.16437@ulrik.uio.no> rivero@sol.cie.unizar.es writes:
>that was from RACTER, was it?  I read a reference to Racter in Scientific Amer.
>time ago, probably in computer games. There was a Racter vs Eliza match, funny,
>showing how RACTER routines can make fool a sophisticated parser as Eliza is.

Sophisticated parser? Eliza? Most versions of Eliza are very
simple-minded indeed and don't actually do any parsing, just pattern
matching. 

>I dont know if racter source is avalaible. In fact, I dont know if the program
>is avalaible actually from any place. 

Racter is a commercial program, so I'd be very surprised if the source
is available. I've seen (and used) a version for the Macintosh; that
was a few years ago and I don't know if they still sell it. Let me
just say that in real "life", Racter isn't quite as good a
conversationalist as one can be led to believe. The texts quoted in
the articles (and ads) are probably edited, or at least the most
interesting parts have been selected. 

              Magnus Olsson                | \e+      /_
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