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From: nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle)
Subject: Re: Prolog vs. Lisp
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Susan Fisher RSTC Contractor <sfisher@felix.cc.gatech.edu> writes:
>Gary wrote:
>> I am looking for a comparison between Prolog and Lisp in terms of
>> the problem domains of each language.
>> is there a text on the net? Magazin?
>> Thanks

>I have a similar question.  I am taking an AI course where we may
>program in any language we choose.  I debating the use of C, C++,
>and LISP.  I am looking for any insight on the pros and cons of
>these languages.  I am a very new programmer and have honestly
>never had the option of which language to use!  And advice
>would be greatly appreciated.

    Well, for starters, they're both nearly dead languages, although
Prolog is deader.

    Prolog is useful for a limited class of problems that are 
expressable in its rule form, and almost useless for anything else.
I once wrote a program to configure PC hardware in Prolog; the
algorithm was suprisingly easy, but the menu system was painful, 
because it needed sequentiality.  

    LISP is sort of like Java, but with more parentheses.  Really.
Both languages have dynamic allocation, garbage collection, 
safety at run time, and the ability to load new code while
running.  Any algorithm you can write in LISP you can probably
write about equally well in Java.  Java is more strongly typed
than LISP; in Java, typing is mandatory, while in LISP, it's
optional in the same sense that it's optional in Visual Basic.

[Please, no flames from the LISP fanatics.  I've used Franz LISP,
Interlisp on DEC-10s, Common LISP, and the refrigerator-sized Symbolics.
It's over.  Let it go.]

					John Nagle
