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AIMLBot Version 3.0 Roadmap and other projects...

31 July 2007

I have some time on my hands in the evenings at the moment so I hope to do some extensive re-factoring and development on the AIMLBot project.

My most important aims and objectives are:

  • To update the library’s API to make it even simpler, efficient and useful.
  • Get rid of all the “cruft” that seems to have built up around the project (all those bloated examples). I’m going to re-focus on the core library.
  • Write better produced documentation and code examples.
  • Re-license the whole project under duel licenses:
    • A free “open-source” license for free-software and educational use.
    • A commercial license (that will cost money).
  • Make use of some of the new features in .NET 3.0 (interfacing with the Windows Workflow Foundation, WCF and Cardspace).
  • Provide several “free” clients as:
    • A standard “stand-alone” Windows application
    • A click-one application
    • An ASP.NET/AJAX.NET custom control
    • A Silverlight application
    • A Vista client written in XAML that makes use of the new speech and voice recognition APIs.
    • A GTK/Mono client for Linux/Mac OS X
  • Build a set of commercial applications upon the core library:
    • An easy to use GUI for AIML editing and bot configuration delivered as either:
      • A standard Windows application
      • A click-once application
      • A web application (ASP.NET or within Sharepoint)
      • A Silverlight application
    • A scalable, high performance server to which the above applications can connect and configure.
    • A lightweight “mobile” stand-alone program AND/OR client
  • A set of commercially available extensions to mash-up with:
  • To add extensions to the basic AIML set (AIML will always be supported in “compatibility mode”), details of which will be forthcoming.

Finally, you may remember I was working on an HR application and expert system. Well, the HR application is now shelved for good. It was an excellent vehicle for me to learn about Microformats, REST and Ruby-on-Rails so was not without its benefits. The work I’ve done on the expert system will be incorporated into the Windows Workflow Foundation research I’ve been doing with a view to applying it to version 3.0 of AIMLBot.

Posted by Nicholas H.Tollervey Filed in Artificial Intelligence   Start-up

6 Responses to "AIMLBot Version 3.0 Roadmap and other projects..."

  1. Jerry Cicierega Says:
    2007-11-16 02:52

    An ASP.NET/AJAX.NET custom control
    now that what im talkin about!!!

    i cant wait!

    I have been trying to get 2.5 to work in asp.net project but with no luck.

    My goal was to get it to work with Ajax techniques.

    Any Idea when your control will be ready??
    My use is for fun!

    Thanx
    Jerry Cicierega
    (781) 820-9298

  2. Nicholas H.Tollervey Says:
    2007-11-17 21:23

    Hi Jerry,

    Thanks for your positive comments. The library for version 3.0 of AIMLBot will be ready before or on the new year (2008).

    I’ll make sure I release the library with extensive HowTo documentation. One of these HowTo’s will be for an ASP.NET AJAX control. I imagine it will be something like a simple recipe – just follow the steps and it should just work™.

    I’ll post the new release on the Sourceforge site.

    Best wishes,

    Nicholas

  3. William Mele Says:
    2008-03-10 14:42

    Very nice AIML Bot! Is there a chance you might add a MS Agent or Flash Character in the future? Also has AIML Bot been tested on a hand held computer or PDA?

  4. Nicholas Tollervey Says:
    2008-03-10 21:37

    Hi Bill,

    Thanks for the feedback!

    I’m currently working on a project called Botkit that will include a recipe for interfacing bots with MS Agent (among other things). In fact the current version of AIMLBot will, if referenced correctly, happily sit behind MS Agent. As for flash… well, there is a very simple web-service demo application on the Sourceforge site (see the downloads section) that a flash based character could query. As for a hand-held / PDA version: the library should work with the .NET compact framework that runs on Windows Mobile, although I have not coded a UI for such devices. Once again, a recipe is “in the oven” for a mobile version of Botkit (which is also being written with XNA and the compact framework in mind).

    Hope this answers your questions.

    Best wishes,

    Nicholas.

  5. William Mele Says:
    2008-03-11 11:34

    Thanks for the feed back. Do you have any kind of time line for these future projects?

  6. Nicholas Tollervey Says:
    2008-03-11 20:40

    Hi William,

    Well, thats the million dollar question…

    These projects are being done in my own time (during my commute to London each morning and evening) so I can only honestly say “when they’re ready”.

    However, as things currently stand:

    1. The core Botkit library is progressing very well and should be ready for an “alpha” release within weeks rather than months.
    2. The AIML implementation should follow soon after as I already have much of it completed – it just needs integrating into the Botkit framework.
    3. Once these two projects are in place I expect to write up and publish the developer’s documentation, how-tos and recipes.
    4. I’ll also release a click-once / XAML based desktop application so non-techies can play.

    There are also other Botkit related developments in the works, but I’ll blog about those when they’re more mature / fully thought out.

    Hope this answers your query.

    Best wishes,

    Nicholas.

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