  Existing methods for dealing with knowledge updates differ greatly depending
on the underlying knowledge representation formalism. When Classical Logic is
used, updates are typically performed by manipulating the knowledge base on the
model-theoretic level. On the opposite side of the spectrum stand the semantics
for updating Answer-Set Programs that need to rely on rule syntax. Yet, a
unifying perspective that could embrace both these branches of research is of
great importance as it enables a deeper understanding of all involved methods
and principles and creates room for their cross-fertilisation, ripening and
further development.
  This paper bridges the seemingly irreconcilable approaches to updates. It
introduces a novel monotonic characterisation of rules, dubbed RE-models, and
shows it to be a more suitable semantic foundation for rule updates than
SE-models. Then it proposes a generic scheme for specifying semantic rule
update operators, based on the idea of viewing a program as the set of sets of
RE-models of its rules; updates are performed by introducing additional
interpretations - exceptions - to the sets of RE-models of rules in the
original program. The introduced scheme is used to define rule update operators
that are closely related to both classical update principles and traditional
approaches to rules updates, and serve as a basis for a solution to the
long-standing problem of state condensing, showing how they can be equivalently
defined as binary operators on some class of logic programs.
  Finally, the essence of these ideas is extracted to define an abstract
framework for exception-based update operators, viewing a knowledge base as the
set of sets of models of its elements, which can capture a wide range of both
model- and formula-based classical update operators, and thus serves as the
first firm formal ground connecting classical and rule updates.
