Programming Intelligent Agents for the Internet

Cyberpunk-sounding intelligent agents are currently being developed to help users cope with the floods of information pouring onto the information highway, employing techniques of artificial intelligence to find and organize the information that users want and screen out what they don't want. Now for C++ programmers who want to capitalize on the explosion of interest in communications and the Internet, this book explains how to use C++ to program intelligent agent to handle information management tasks on the internet.

Eliminate information highway traffic jams by using the information management power of intelligent agents If you're a C++ programmer searching for ways to capitalize on the Internet information explosion, this leading-edge book has the answers. Intelligent agents are at the forefront of new efforts to helo users manage the deluge of information flooding them every day over online services and the internet. This unique reference teaches you how to use C++ to program intelligent agents to find and organize information you want and screen out what you don't--a service for which demand is expected to mushroom over the next several years. Use the technique of artificial intelligence to create practical communications tools applicable to Windows environments. You'll find accessible and thorough explanations of how to: Set up agenst to scan for relevant information online; Automatically format retrieved information into personalized reports; Save retrieved information in fully indexed local text databases; Transer and organize information for use on a personal digital assistant; Utilize C++ libraries that support Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, and UNIC environments. The C++ libraries included on the bundled disk will help shorten development time considerably; all source code is included and can be used in compiled form without restriction. So start capitalizing on this state-of-the-art technology now.

A book whose main value is the sample code it contains; it lacks in-depth discussions of the theory and algorithms involved, and is composed mostly of source listings. At best, the reusable C++ classes and sample programs (included on disk) can be grabbed and modified for use in more polished programs, or even as-is if you are willing to put up with a few minor flaws (e.g. having to manually close down and restart a program if a server prematurely stops sending a document).