Software Architect's Handbook

P-type systems

A P-type system is one in which the problem may be precisely stated. The end result may be well known and it may even be possible to create an exact specification for the system. However, unlike an S-type system, either the solution is not well understood or it is simply impractical to implement a solution.

A common example of P-type systems is a program that can play chess by always making the best possible move with each turn. While it is theoretically possible to develop all of the sets of logic to determine what the program can do, in practice, it will not be feasible. The complexity of the logic is so high that the system will take too much time to calculate each move. If we were not allowed to apply heuristics to reduce ...