Traditional versus rule-based programming techniques - Application to the control of optional flight information

A traditional programming technique for controlling the display of optional flight information in a civil transport cockpit is compared to a rule-based technique for the same function. This application required complex decision logic and a frequently modified rule base. The techniques are evaluated for execution efficiency and implementation ease; the criterion used to calculate the execution efficiency is the total number of steps required to isolate hypotheses that were true and the criteria used to evaluate the implementability are ease of modification and verification and explanation capability. It is observed that the traditional program is more efficient than the rule-based program; however, the rule-based programming technique is more applicable for improving programmer productivity.