* Vanguard Software DecisionScript
There are a lot of Web application scripting systems out there and it is hard to know which one to choose for a specific task.
One that has intrigued me is DecisionScript from Vanguard Software (see links below) because it addresses interesting areas of customer interactivity. In particular, DecisionScript is targeted (as its name implies) on decision-making processes such as support diagnostics and product selection procedures.
Based on an enhanced version of JavaScript run on the server side, DecisionScript code is not embedded in HTML pages (as with, for example, ASP) but turns the model around and embeds HTML content in scripts. This, the company claims, allows for much faster development and much better performance.
Development is done in the DecisionScript Author, a visual integrated development environment (IDE), which runs on Windows 95, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP. This tool includes an interactive debugger and allows for point-and-click script building. It also provides application development wizards and rapid prototyping with the built-in DecisionScript Server.
The decision support features of the DecisionScript language include Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Decision tree analysis, rule-based expert systems, what-if analysis and the analytic methods supported include simplex optimization, Monte Carlo simulation, forecasting, statistical analysis, regression, a financial library, numeric calculus, matrix math, and list processing. In addition, there is support for user-defined function libraries.
The DecisionScript Server, which runs under Windows, is a stand-alone HTTP server that offer multi-threaded execution, CGI support, ODBC database connectivity, “true” session processing (variable and process state), cross-visit session persistence, server clustering, dynamic graph construction, dynamic page generation, and performance monitors. The server is claimed to be compatible with all Web server software and all Web browsers.
The demo examples are impressive. Pricing for DecisionScript Author starts from $495 for the personal version through to $995 for the developer version. The DecisionScript Server costs $3,995.
