1. How to install and start MOBAL    

Follow these steps:
  Change into the directory that is to be the parent of Mobal's
  home directory, eg.
  
   cd /home/username 
  Read the distribution tape using ``tar'' with default settings, eg.
  
        tar xvf /dev/rst0 
  
If you got   using `ftp' you must use the uncompress- and tar-command:
  
   uncompress Mobal2.2.tar.Z  
   tar -xvf Mobal2.2.tar 
  
This will create the subdirectory "Mobal2.2".
  Optionally edit your .cshrc to properly set the required environment variables
(see the manpage for a description of their meaning).  Here's a reasonable
standard setting (for csh):
  
  
     setenv MOBALHOME /vol/Mobal2.2 
     setenv MOBALDOMAINS  MOBALHOME/domains 
     setenv MOBALTMPSTACKS  HOME/Stacks 
     setenv PSVIEWER /vol/openwin/bin/pageview 
     setenv MOBALGUIDE  MOBALHOME/man/userguide.ps 
  
  Start HyperNeWS 1.4 (start OpenWindows 2.0 first if have not done so yet).  
  Make sure     $MOBALHOME/Stacks/  and     $MOBALTMPSTACKS  (in expanded form) are 
  in the HyperNeWS search path (in HyperNeWS, click on System Info to check).

  In a terminal window (click on Terminal) or any shell of your choice, change into
Mobal's home directory
    
     cd  $MOBALHOME
   
This saves you some typing by making    $MOBALHOME  the default directory
for all Quintus file operations.
  You start Mobal simply by typing
    
     mobalrt
   


2. How to test Mobal 


Follow the guided tour at the beginning of the user guide, or use the
following steps.
  Click on Open Domain in the File menu. If you are using the standard
  domain directory, there will be a subdirectory named    tldriver .  Double-click
  on it.  From the list of domains now shown, select "tldriver2"
  for loading by double-clicking on its name.

  After the domain is loaded, try selecting various knowledge
  sources (eg. Facts, Rules) from the View menu. This will bring up stacks
  that show the existing entries.

  Bring up a predicates window if you have not already done so, and
  focus it by clicking on "Settings ...", entering "responsible"
  in the Focus field, and then clicking on "Set Values".

NOTE: Sometimes a stack text field will not accept any input and just beeps.
      This is due to an interaction between HyperNeWS stacks and X windows
      (acc. to TI).  One way around this is to click right in the input
      field to briefly bring up the menu without selecting from it.
      You can then type your input.

  Now try out the learning module by double clicking on the "responsible/2"
  predicate, and selecting "Learn About" from the operations menu.  The
  system will take around 5 seconds to learn about this predicate.

  Click on "Load From Text", and select the file   
    $MOBALHOME/domains/tldriver/source/tldriver2-additional-cases.scr 
  center 
  This will input three additional cases into the knowledge base via
  Mobal's scratchpad format.  These three cases will generate three knowledge
  revision goals on the agenda.  Bring up the agenda window, double click
  on one of these goals, and select "Handle" from the menu.  Answer "Yes" to
  the question that follows.  In the large knowledge revision panel that comes
  up, just select "Do It".  When asked whether to continue, click on "No".
  Accept the system proposal in all menus. 
  Note: this will take several minutes to complete. 
  Note: While Mobal is running, you can move, scroll, and resize stacks, but 
  you cannot open or close them.

Note: You can use the "Prolog" entry on the "Call" menu to load some
(interpreted) code into the running Prolog system, even if you do not
have Quintus Prolog.  This can be used to try out Mobal's program
interface, and is sufficient for simple program-controlled operation
of Mobal.  If you want to use Mobal's program interface to embed Mobal
into another system, you will need a Quintus prolog 3.1 system, and
access to the sources of Mobal.  Contact GMD for the details.

   