Reference: Garvey, A.; Hewett, M.; Johnson Jr., M. V.; Schulman, R.; & Hayes-Roth, B. BB1 User Manual - Interlisp Version. 1986.
Abstract: This manual is aimed at the programmer or knowledge engineer interested in implementing a system in BB1. We assume a medium-level knowledge of LISP and AI, with exposure to the idea of blackboard systems. We also assume that you have familiarity with LISP workstations - don't look here for instructions on how to use the mouse! The glossary at the end of the manual will be essential in understanding the terms used throughout the manual. BB1 runs on Xerox 1100-series workstations and the Texas Instruments Explorer [TM]. It has been ported at other sites to the Symbolics 3600-series machines (under Genera 7) and the LMI Lambda. This manual describes the InterLisp version running on the Xerox 1100-series machines. A good approach to learning BB1 is to read this manual, then sit down at the machine (with manual in hand) and run a BB1 demo program. Then go through the manual again, run the demo again, and then take a deep breath and try to build a small system. If you can get a single knowledge source to trigger and execute, you are well on your way to building a real system. You will be using the BBEdit program a lot - become familiar with it. After you have built a couple of systems in BB1, you will want to explore the capabilities for defining languages and conceptual frameworks. At that time you should review those sections of the manual and examine the SIGHTPLAN demo system closely. A framework takes some time to build, but the explicitness of the representation provides large gains in reasoning, explanation, and learning. We hope you enjoy your time with BB1.