Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog
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From: amzi@world.std.com (Amzi!)
Subject: Re: Why hasn't Prolog Taken over the World?
Message-ID: <CzIxzu.IxL@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
References: <3a6lf4$mk5@mozo.cc.purdue.edu> <3aal5c$b4d@ra.nrl.navy.mil> <citrin-1511941431140001@ecemac-citrin.colorado.edu> <3ai0ps$rmq@beta.qmw.ac.uk> <dcfCzI6wB.9pH@netcom.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Nov 1994 17:02:18 GMT
Lines: 67

dcf@netcom.com (Don Ferguson) writes:

>The question I have is whether it is too late for Prolog. Is the language
>dead, or just resting?  And if it's not dead, then what can be done to
>breathe some life into it?

That's the key question...(see response below)

>I'm afraid that features such as multi-threading, better modules, constraints,
>etc. won't make a difference.  If people believe that Prolog is dog meat, then
>new and improved dog meat isn't going to make 'em salivate.  The same is
>true for standardized dog meat.  Standardization comes roughly 8 years too
>late.
>...
>Perhaps they will rise from the rubble, emerging from the dank corners 
>and corridors of research labs around the world, and Prolog will be
>recognized as the true savior of Computer Science.

Prolog does not have to take over the world to be a successful, useful 
tool.  Very few products enjoy the widespread use of 'C' or Cobol.  
Trying to convince major development organizations to ditch such well 
entrenched standards is extremely difficult for the reasons cited by 
others in this thread.

But, Prolog is an ideal tool as a component of a larger application 
(written in C, Basic or Cobol).  Then, you can use Prolog for the things 
it does best: search, pattern matching, multiple constraints, etc. and 
use C/Basic for the rest of the application.  Used in this way Prolog 
becomes like any other database, graphics or other library/API.  It is a 
service for the main application to call upon when advice, diagnosis or 
other logic functions are needed.

So getting back to the first question.  Prolog is resting and waiting.  I 
think the time is here for tools that help manage application 
complexity.  As every programmer and user of Windows can attest, it is 
just too complex, and its getting more so each day.  We are not going to 
reduce the complexity, but the advent of wizards, advisors, tutors, 
intelligent help, on-line diagnostics, automated configuration and more 
signals the beginning of a search for tools to manage complexity.

Microsoft is using Prolog in its NT network configuration and 
installation tools.  We're seeing more and more major companies using 
Prolog as components of their larger applications.  Now is the time to 
make Prolog accessible and understandable to C/Basic programmers and to 
standardize on a single, portable dialect.

Mary








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