Intelligent Assistance for Complex Systems

Complex systems are becoming more pervasive, yet in order for these systems to be used effectively, machine-based assistance is needed. With the advent of powerful personal systems it is anticipated that experts in various disciplines will become increasingly dependent on computational environments provided they are given a means of exploiting system capabilities. Traditional help systems have made use of canned text which is presented in response to typing a “?” or “help”. Many integral help systems embed canned hints at appropriate places in the program. Help is commonly provided via a scheme for accessing text files. Help files may be indexed by names such as MAIL, EDIT, LOGIN. Indexing of files is sometimes extended by permitting the user to type a sequence of words such as HELP MAIL READ to provide assistance on subcategories of a topic. Canned text can also be accessed hierarchically through use of a menu system. Most traditional help systems use one of the techniques described to provide assistance.