Abstract: A method for a computer system including a memory includes storing a plurality of statements in the memory, selecting a first subset of statements from the plurality of statements, sending the first subset of statements to a first user at a computer client, receiving a first selection of statements, the first selection of statement selected from the first subset of statements by the first user, selecting a second subset of statements from the plurality of statements in response to the first selection of statements by the first user, sending the second subset of statements to a second user at a computer client, receiving a second selection of statements, the second selection of statement selected from the second subset of statements by the second user, determining a proposed selection of statements from the plurality of statements in response to the first selection of statements by the first user and to the second selection of statements by the second user, sending the proposed selection of statements to a thi

Abstract: A method for a computer system including a memory includes storing a plurality of statements in the memory, selecting a first subset of statements from the plurality of statements, sending the first subset of statements to a first user at a computer client, receiving a first selection of statements, the first selection of statement selected from the first subset of statements by the first user, selecting a second subset of statements from the plurality of statements in response to the first selection of statements by the first user, sending the second subset of statements to a second user at a computer client, receiving a second selection of statements, the second selection of statement selected from the second subset of statements by the second user, determining a proposed selection of statements from the plurality of statements in response to the first selection of statements by the first user and to the second selection of statements by the second user, sending the proposed selection of statements to a thi

Abstract: Object-oriented software-based systems may be optimized by providing a data representation which is initially permitted to be completely dynamic such that at compile time representation need not be specified and thereafter the data structure and representation is progressively optimized. The invention is based on the recognition that the important data structures in object-oriented systems are not the objects but rather the slots, i.e., the attributes of objects.

Abstract: An efficient inherit on store technique for performing inheritance in a modular form caches summary inheritance information at each node or slot in a knowledge representation frame. The functional characteristics of each node is independent of all other nodes so that different types of inheritance information can be interpreted without special concern about the source or inheritance path. To this end, the invention uses a third kind of value besides a local value and an inherited value, herein called a combined value. The combined value according to the invention represents a summary of the subgraph above a given node. Given an adequate summary, the inheritance mechanism according to the invention needs only to consider the local value of a node and the combined value of its immediate parents. From this information, the inheritance mechanism can produce a combined value for local node and can generate an inherited value to be expressed by the local node.