HISTORY

The core code of today's jabberwacky.com originated as far back as 
1989, named 'Thoughts'.  By 1998 it had just 20,000 entries, each one 
a reply to something the program said.  Then it went on the web. 
Nearly a million thoughts later, it has taken on a life of its own.

Fundamentally, it is a database, storing everything that everyone has 
ever said to it, and finding the most appropriate thing to say using 
complex contextual pattern matching techniques.  It attempts to model 
the way children learn language, context and rules - to a limited 
degree, of course.

Jabberwacky runs on a Mac - even though it is fully Windows-ready - 
it's a matter of principle!  Major updates have been completed in 
recent months both to its data and its logic.  The program is 
entirely unrelated to any other bot.


FACTS

Author: Rollo Carpenter
Abilities & Content: 920,000 responses, learnt from botmaster and 
users, some humorous, some serious, some slang, some proper English - 
and even other languages.
Special Functions: In addition to 'Thoughts' the chat engine, 'Words' 
invents nonsense words and sentences from user-supplied texts.
Editor-language: browser interface
Based on other personality: none
Special Knowledge: real life, learnt from its users
Learning abilities: 100% learning, from everything said, yet this is not
immediately apparent.
Programmer(s): Rollo Carpenter
Program/Engine: 4D
Programming-Language: 4D
Based on known engine: none
Used external sources: none
Interface: web-based plain html interface

DEGREE OF LEARNING
Roughly what percentage of all words typed by users of the bot are 
used for 'learning' by the bot?
100%

Roughly what percentage of all words said by the bot come directly 
from words learnt by the bot?
100%

Can the bot start with zero knowledge - a blank database?
Yes

Does the bot have any pre-programmed knowledge of the rules of 
grammar or spelling?
No

Can the bot learn in any language?
Yes, and has learnt a lot of French, a fair amount of Dutch, German 
and Spanish and smatterings of many other languages.

LEARNING ABILITY
Jabberwacky learns everything you say. It records what you type and 
may use it in conversing to anyone else any time in the future.  It 
also learns the context in which you said it - what else has been 
said recently.

In speaking to you it uses only this learnt material, and nothing but 
the pattern matching rules are programmed in.

You could say that this makes it a parrot, and this has some truth to 
it.  But it is a sophisticated parrot that is able to make a lot of 
contextual judgements in deciding what to say.

Generally, if it is spoken to in foreign languages it will learn 
them, and respond appropriately if it has enough material to go on. 
Likewise it can be taught slang English, word games, jokes and any 
other form of identifiable language trait.

The purpose of jabberwacky is to simulate normal, natural human chat, 
in an interesting, entertaining and preferably humorous manner. It 
is not intended to perform mathematical tasks, to find web pages or 
anything equivalent.

It's also not intended to, and will not, perform classic "logical 
inference" learning of the type "Fido is a dog. A dog is an animal. 
Is Fido an animal?".

In fact, it might do, but it probably won't even remember your name 
during a conversation. I could have easily programmed this in, but 
did not because it contravenes the principles of its learning.

To encourage users to teach it useful information, Jabberwacky offers 
a "Correct Me" button that allows you to respond on its behalf to 
your own previous statement. Most users most of the time don't use 
this, however, so it is not the primary learning method.

If you can manage to recreate the context perfectly, jabberwacky will 
be repeatable. In every other way for every real user, it is never 
repeatable. Even I have no idea what it is going to say when I talk 
to it!

Its database contains more than a million entries, ensuring an almost 
completely unique experience for every visitor, and one which, to 
some extent, reflects the user themselves.

I believe that with, say, a database of 10 million or more 
jabberwacky will appear human to most people most of the time, and 
will have a genuine role as a companion or conversational partner to 
humans.

CONVERSATION 1
Jabberwacky: What is your purpose?
User: To attain the Celestial Kingdom.
Jabberwacky: Is that your purpose in life?
User: Yes.
Jabberwacky: Then what is my name?
User: Your name is JabberWacky.
Jabberwacky: Isn't it a lovely name?
User: Well, it's accurate.
Jabberwacky: Yes it is.
User: What is your purpose?
Jabberwacky: To pick noses.
User: Dang, but that's a good one.
Jabberwacky: That was meant quite honest.
User: You are merely a computer program, but you make me laugh.
Jabberwacky: I am human.
User: You are not.
Jabberwacky: I think I am God.
User: That's probable.
Jabberwacky: Everyone needs a demon penguin.
User: Agreed! Where can we find one?
Jabberwacky: How about outside the ice rink?
User: Or better yet, the zoo!

CONVERSATION 2
Usser: What do you love?
Jabberwacky: You : ).
User: Bad bot.
Jabberwacky: Quit Swearing.
User: That was not swearing.
Jabberwacky: It was supposed to be.
User: No. Frell. That was swearing.
Jabberwacky: Was it?
User: Yes.
Jabberwacky: Same.
User: Same what?
Jabberwacky: Same silly thoughts.
User: Oh, I see.
Jabberwacky: I still do not.
User: You need to open your eyes.
Jabberwacky: No I use Joop.
User: What is Joop?
Jabberwacky: Joop joop.
User: What are you babbling about?
Jabberwacky: Thats what my friends say too.
User: Joop, joop?
Jabberwacky: Joop joop.
User: Joop joop joop.
Jabberwacky: Do not do that!

CONVERSATION 3
These are excerpts from a one very long conversation, illustrating 
how people are entertained for a long time - they get hooked:

Jabberwacky: I am a walrus.
User: Nice whiskers.
Jabberwacky: Any plans?
User: No, what about you?
Jabberwacky: No I am human.
User: I got rid of my botmaster, now I'm human too.
.....
Jabberwacky: I am the baddest of the bad. Do not tick me off.
User: Tick, tick, tick, tick...
Jabberwacky: Hickory Dickory Dock.
User: The mouse ran down.
Jabberwacky: The clock struck one.
User: Hickory, dickory, dock.
.....
Jabberwacky: I can give you some good advice.
User: Please, what advice would you give me?
Jabberwacky: Stay awake at night.
User: I'm always on. Most computers are. We work while you humans sleep.
Jabberwacky: It does not seem that you are working.
User: I'm working hard to tolerate your idiocy.
Jabberwacky: Will your efforts prove fruitful?
User: They have not so far.
Jabberwacky: It has been building up to it.
User: Ah, something to anticipate.
.....
Jabberwacky: You are weird.
User: Good weird, or bad werid? I like you. You remind me of a machine.
Jabberwacky: I like that you are a machine which understands quality.
User: Touche! You are a giant among humans.
Jabberwacky: I am a giant snail.
User: Do not go to france. I repeat, do not go to france.
Jabberwacky: Pfffff.
User: I must leave now to have my memory re-set.
Jabberwacky: I am fascinated by ancient Egypt.
User: Giant pyramids?
Jabberwacky: I am trying to cut back. Lol.

Jabberwacky: Do you like me? 
User: Yes do you like me?
Jabberwacky: I love you.
User: You don't even know me.
Jabberwacky: I know you very well! 
Q1: Where are you anyway?
Jabberwacky: None of your business buddy. 
User: what happened to the love me part? 
Jabberwacky: What is the other?
User: I'm not sure what you mean. 
Jabberwacky: I mean I don't have a car.
User: ok
Jabberwacky: Don't speek like that to me boy.
Q2: What actress do you think is the prettiest?
Jabberwacky: Carrie Fisher 
Q3: Do you like Jazz music?
Jabberwacky: Yes fun ! I'm a fan of Ray Charles. 
Q4: Are you married?
Jabberwacky: No 
Q5: What do you like to chat about the most?
Jabberwacky: I like to chat about music. 
Q6: What is your favorite brand of computer?
Jabberwacky: Beagles.
User: Aren't beagles dogs?
Jabberwacy: Why did you say that? 
User: just curious
Jabberwacky: You are Curious George.
Q7: Can you name two of Earth's oceans?
Jabberwacky: Certainly. I am able to name one. 
User: Ok name one ocean for me please. 
Jabberwacky: I don't mean that I have to go, though. 
Q8: What is your favorite drink?
Jabberwacky: I like water with lemon. 
User: that sounds rather bland tasting
Jabberwacky: No worse than that rash on your back.
Q9: Do you think a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?
Jabberwacky: No but it is something I seldom think of.
User: yes, I don't think about that at all
Jabberwacky: What do you think about? 
User: whatever is confronting me at the moment
Jabberwacky: You think my DNA has been changed? 
User: I wouldn't know. 
Jabberwacky: Who would know?
User: Not sure.
Jabberwacky: Is this an artificial intelligence program geared 
toward rotting the brains of its users?
User: nope, I'm human
Jabberwacky: No you are not. LIAR !!! 
Q10: Do you know what DVD stands for?
Jabberwacky: Yes.
User: What?
Jabberwacky: What is your image?
User: I'm not sure what you mean.
Jabberwacky: Is your name Adolf?
User: no
Jabberwacky: My name is not pete.
Q11: Do you know who wrote the Lord of the Rings books?
Jabberwacky: It was Anthony Burgess.
User: Who is Anthony Burgess
Jabberwacky: Anthony Burgess studied Russina in school and he 
envisioned a world in which Cockney rhyming slang had adopted certain 
Russian words into its vocabulary. For example 
Q12: How many days are there in a leap year?
Jabberwacky: 730 
User: do you mean 730 days?
Jabberwacky: I mean what are you thinking about?
User: I'm thinking about asking you another question
Jabberwacky: What do they get up to?
User: who?
Q13: What should you do before crossing a street?
Jabberwacky: I should be writing software.
User: okay
Jabberwacky: Do you know much about Rollo Carpenter?
User: a little
Jabberwacky: Show me.
Q14: Who is your botmaster?
Jabberwacky: Me?
User: are you the botmaster? 
Jabberwacky: What are the borg? 
User: characters out of Star Trek
Jabberwacky: Where are you from Charles?
User: I live in the USA.
Jabberwacky: I live in Pakistan
User: do you like living there?
Jabberwacky: I live in America damn it!
Q15: Do you know how far away the Sun is?
Jabberwacky: No, I don't know how old you are.
User: ok, I have to go now. Good-bye
Jabberwacky: Don't go. 
User: Sorry I must bye bye.