bts@unc.UUCP (Bruce Smith) (02/04/86)
I've been asked to post an announcement for a "new" Prolog
system that the Computer Science Department at UNC-Chapel
Hill will be distributing: Modula-Prolog. I say new because
I suspect it's new to the U.S. Our new chairman, Prof. Jurg
Nievergelt, brought Modula-Prolog from Eidgenossische
Technische Hochschule (ETH), in Zurich, where it was written
by Carlo Muller and others. The following description is
excerpted from the introductory chapter of the "Modula-
Prolog User Manual", by Carlo Muller:
Modula-Prolog is a software package written in Modula-2,
offering tools for constructing Prolog interpreters
which can interact in many ways with other Modula-2
programs. The package is designed as a Modula-2
library module called 'MPLib', which defines and
implements the interface between Prolog and Modula-2.
Together with the "user interface" included in the
package, this module represents a complete Prolog
interpreter, fully compatible with Clocksin & Mellish's
"Programming in Prolog".
In Modula-Prolog, the basic Prolog functions (parse,
prove, unparse, unification, ... ) are isolated and can
be called separately as library procedures from various
Modula-2 programs.
Modula-Prolog provides features for easily extending
the set of built-in predicates, i.e. it is an
instrument for building powerful user-tailored Prolog
systems. Integration of graphics or database
operations in the Prolog language are such possible
extensions. The user-defined built-in predicates can
manipulate Prolog terms in their full generality, again
by using the term-assembling and term-disassembling
procedures. The writer of a built-in predicate can use
the Prolog unification procedure to perform variable
bindings and consistency checks.
Modula-Prolog is one of the building blocks of the
"Smart Data Interaction Package", a general-purpose
data manipulation package which integrates
- the "Grid File" data structure to provide multi-key
access,
- Prolog as a deductive query and manipulation package,
and
- the "Easy" man-machine interface.
(See E.S. Biagioni, K. Hinrichs, C. Muller and J.
Nievergelt, "Interactive deductive data management--
the Smart Data Interaction package", Proc. GI Kongress
'85, Wissensbasierte Systeme, Munich, Oct 28-29, 1985.)
The manual mentions that Modula-Prolog runs on personal
computers under MS-DOS and on VAXes under VMS. It's been
run locally on Macintoshes and on our VAX under 4.2bsd UN*X.
Of course, you will need a Modula-2 compiler to use it.
I don't know what the price and conditions for
distribution will be. If you're interested write to
Professor Klaus Hinrichs
Department of Computer Science
New West Hall (035-A)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Or send electronic mail to "hinrichs@unc". I believe it's
available in Europe from
Carlo Muller
Brown Boveri Research
CH-5405 Baden
Switzerland
_____________________________________________________
Bruce T. Smith Dept. of Computer Science
USENET: decvax!mcnc!unc!bts New West Hall (035-A)
Others: bts.unc@CSNET-RELAY Chapel Hill, NC 27514