Exploring Expect

Using Expect In Real Applications

Expect is a real program used in real applications. In my own environment, my colleagues depend on many Expect scripts to do important and critical tasks. We also use Expect to whip up demos and to automate ad hoc programs.

I have already mentioned lots of other uses for Expect. Many more cannot be described without also going into detail about proprietary or one-of-a-kind programs that people are stuck with using every day. But I will mention some companies and examples of how each uses Expect to give you a warm fuzzy feeling that Expect is widely accepted.

3Com does software quality assurance with Expect. Silicon Graphics uses it to do network measurements such as echo response time using telnet. The World Bank uses it to automate file transfers and updates. IBM uses it as part of a tape backup production environment. HP uses it to automate queries to multiple heterogenous commercial online databases. Sun uses it to sweep across their in-house network testing computer security. Martin Marietta uses it to control and extract usage statistics from network routers. Tektronix uses it to test software simulations of test instruments. The National Cancer Institute uses it to administer accounts across multiple platforms. Cisco uses it for network control and testing. Xerox uses it for researcher collaboration. Motorola uses it to control and backup multiple commercial databases. Data General uses it for software quality engineering. The Baha’i World Centre ...