Book Review C4.5 Programs for Machine Learning by J. Ross Quinlan. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., 1993：（书评C4.5为机器学习程序j·罗斯昆兰。）.pdfVIP

Machine Learning, 16, 235-240 (1994) © 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston. Manufactured in The Netherlands. Book Review: C4.5: Programs for Machine Learning by J. Ross Quinlan. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., 1993. STEVEN L . SALZBERG salzberg@cs.jhu.edu Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 Editor: Alberto Segre 1. Overview Algorithms for constructing decision trees are among the most well known and widely used of all machine learning methods. Among decision tree algorithms, J. Ross Quinlan's ID3 and its successor, C4.5, are probably the most popular in the machine learning community. These algorithms and variations on them have been the subject of numerous research papers since Quinlan introduced ID3. Until recently, most researchers looking for an introduction to decision trees turned to Quinlan's seminal 1986 Machine Learning journa l article [Quinlan, 1986]. In his new book, C4.5: Programs fo r Machine Learning, Quinlan has put together a definitive, much needed description of his complete system, including the latest developments. As such, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of many researchers and students. Quinlan discusses a wide range of issues related to decision trees, from the core algo- rithm for building an initial tree to methods for pruning, converting trees to rules, and handling various problems such as missing attribute values. For each of these issues, he gives a clear description of the problem, usually accompanied by an example, and he describes how C4.5 handles it