bammi@cwruecmp.UUCP (Jwahar R. Bammi) (03/20/87)
Mini review of XPRO ( eXtended PROlog interpreter) for the Atari St's
Supplier:
Rational Visions
7111 W. Indian School Rd. Suite 131
Phoenix, AZ 85033
(602) 846-0371
Cost:
$39.95 (no typo here !)
Features:
o Edinburg Standard Syntax
o Integrated Emacs like text editor
o Floating point and Math functions
o Many Meta Programming Primitives
o Built in DCG ( grammar rule translator)
o Full access to Vdi and Aes
o Most useful Gemdos calls are supported
o Support for stand alone user written application
(a standalone run file is provided that can run a
data base that has been 'save'ed. you are free
to distribute the run only program, free of any
licensing and other nonsense).
First Impressions: (after running likes(john, mary) and the demos)
You Can't afford not to buy one!!
Those not interested in more details hit 'j' now ----
Here is a brief and incomplete list of primitives:
Evaluable primitives:
Implements most of the primitives found in Dec-10/C-Prolog,
including the meta-level ones like: name, op, arg, functor =.. etc
Control primitives:
abort, break, halt trace, notrace repeat, true, fail, not,-> etc
Comparison Primitives:
= \= < > =< >= == \== =:= =\=
I/O:
see, seeing, tell, telling, told read, write, writeq, get0,
get, nl, tab, put, skip, ttyget0, ttyget, ttyput, ttytab,
ttynl etc.
Knowledge Base:
assert, asserta, assertz, retract, retractall, clause,
listing, finall, forall, consult, reconsult, remove,
phrase, save etc.
Integer Arith:
+-/* mod Ones complement, and, or, right/left shift
rand, abs, round, max, min, succ
Real Arith:
+-*/^ mod abs, max, min, sqrt, ln, exp, sin, cos, tan, atan
Support for random access data structures like arrays (allot primitive)
Access to arbitrary memory via peek and poke (byte, word, longword)
i/O primitives that don't require the '.' (readl rdstrg etc)
Full access to Aes/Vdi and their parameter arrays
Access to most Gemdos functions (not all).
Xpro recognizes prn:, aux: and con: file designators.
I have'nt used it enough to comment further, except to say that
whatever i have tried so far (without reading the manual) works pretty
much as expected, and quite quickly too.
Obviously i have no connection with rational visions etc.
--
usenet: {decvax,cbatt,cbosgd,sun}!cwruecmp!bammi jwahar r. bammi
csnet: bammi@case
arpa: bammi%case@csnet-relay
compuServe: 71515,155drs@bnl.UUCP (06/14/87)
On my way to Usenix, I was reading the June '87 issue of AI magazine, where there is a review of a large number of prologs for pc's. In particular, they mention two for the ST, one called MPROLOG by Logicware Inc for a cost in the 100's and one called XPRO by a company called Rational Visions which had a cost of $40. The good news is that the second company had a Phoenix address, and since I was going to be there for a week I thought I would drop in to see them. To make a long story short, the phone number in the review was out of service, and the address was in a u-rent-it type of place, so it is not at all clear where these people are located - they may not even live in Arizona. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist, but I wouldn't send cash! Since the magazines have incredible lead times, and since benchmarks were included, has anyone out there seen either of these products or have any proof of their existence? (The first one had no benchmark results, so I'm a bit suspicious there as well). < dave stampf
bammi@cwruecmp.UUCP (06/18/87)
In article <8@bnl.UUCP> drs@bnl.UUCP (David R. Stampf) writes: >clear where these people are located - they may not even live in Arizona. I'm >not saying that it doesn't exist, but I wouldn't send cash! I have a copy of Xpro and even an upgrade! It is well worth the $40. -- usenet: {decvax,cbosgd,sun}!cwruecmp!bammi jwahar r. bammi csnet: bammi@cwru.edu <---------Please note change of address arpa: bammi@cwru.edu <---------Please note change of address compuServe: 71515,155
silvert@dalcs.UUCP (06/18/87)
In article <8@bnl.UUCP>, drs@bnl.UUCP (David R. Stampf) writes: > ..... and one called XPRO by a company called Rational Visions which had a > cost of $40. The good news is that the second company had a Phoenix address, > and since I was going to be there for a week I thought I would drop in to see > them. To make a long story short, the phone number in the review was out of > service, and the address was in a u-rent-it type of place, so it is not at all > clear where these people are located - they may not even live in Arizona. I'm > not saying that it doesn't exist, but I wouldn't send cash! I purchased XPRO about a month or so ago by calling RV and then sending cash. It arrived promptly, and even though I am a Prolog novice, I find it fine. At least, when I work through C&M and try various exercises, they work. When I called I got a sort of general secretary, who sounds as though she may be shared by several small operations. I was then referred to a man who sounded more like the author of the program than a salesman -- he knew Prolog, and gave me hints to get me started (book recommendations, etc.). I sent my money, and the package was sent promptly. My dealer has been unable to get XPRO through his distributors, so I suspect that RV operates by direct sales only. Summary: The guy who sells XPRO may not be much of a business man, but so far as I can tell it is a legit operation and the package is fine. -- Bill Silvert, Modelling/Statistics Group, Marine Fish Division Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2 CDN or BITNET: silvert@cs.dal.cdn -- UUCP: ..!{seismo|utai}!dalcs!silvert ARPA: silvert%dalcs.uucp@seismo.CSS.GOV -- CSNET: silvert%cs.dal.cdn@ubc.csnet
fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish) (06/19/87)
In article <2571@dalcs.UUCP> silvert@dalcs.UUCP (Bill Silvert) writes: >In article <8@bnl.UUCP>, drs@bnl.UUCP (David R. Stampf) writes: >> cost of $40. The good news is that the second company had a Phoenix >> address, and since I was going to be there for a week I thought I would >> drop in to see them. To make a long story short, the phone number in the >> review was out of service, and the address was in a u-rent-it type of >> place, so it is not at all clear where these people are located - they >> may not even live in Arizona. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist, but >> I wouldn't send cash! > >When I called I got a sort of general secretary, who sounds as though >she may be shared by several small operations. I was then referred to a >man who sounded more like the author of the program than a salesman -- >he knew Prolog, and gave me hints to get me started (book >recommendations, etc.). I sent my money, and the package was sent >promptly. > If this is who I think it is (Rick B.) then yes, it is definitely legit. He was just over at my house a week ago, to see my Amiga and talk to me about his upcoming port of Prolog to that machine. We used to work together several years ago and I have a lot of confidence in his technical abilities. So if his package interests you, don't let the marketing issues deter you. (I have no association with him or his company other than being a longtime personal friend). I've cross posted to comp.sys.amiga since they may be interested to know that a port is pending for that machine. -Fred (inews defeater) (inews defeater) (inews defeater) (inews defeater) (inews defeater) (inews defeater) (inews defeater) -- = Drug tests; just say *NO*! = Fred Fish Motorola Computer Division, 3013 S 52nd St, Tempe, Az 85282 USA = seismo!noao!mcdsun!fnf (602) 438-5976
dwyer@inmet.UUCP (06/19/87)
Earlier this year a review of XPRO was posted to this notes group.
After reading that review I called "Rational Visions" (the guy who
wrote XPRO) to ask some questions. He was very willing to talk
about his product, in fact we talked in some detail about it's
implementation and his ideas for future products.
I ordered the product, and received it within 2 weeks. It is a
reasonable implementation of Prolog, with the usual built in predicates
and a number of ST/GEM/TOS specific predicates.
All in all a good deal for $34.
matt dwyer
uucp: {bellcore,harvard!wjh12!mirror,ihnp4}!inmet!dwyer
internet: mirror!inmet!dwyer@CCA-UNIX.ARPAChen.wbst@XEROX.COM (11/23/87)
I'm currently starting to work on my thesis and I need to use the language Prolog. Does anyone have any experience working with any of the Prologs for the ST? I heard there was a public domain version, but I haven't got a chance to try that out yet. Are there anyother versions available? Thanks in Advance, Dan
fharris@NPS-CS.ARPA (frank harris x2174) (01/14/88)
Can someone send me some information on diffrent Prolog interpreters
or compilers for the ST. I'm particularly interested to know if
C-Prolog or M-Prolog is available.
Thanx a lot
Frank...........................klamer@mi.eltn.utwente.nl (Klamer Schutte) (03/19/91)
I am forwarding this message for Jens Kilian, kilian@cc.GaTech.edu. In article <klamer.669316722@mi.eltn.utwente.nl> Klamer Schutte writes: >When you care about execution speed, you don't want toy prolog. >It is ssssssoooooo sssssslllllloooowwwww (get it ;-) That's why it was called `TOY' Prolog by the original authors (Kluzniak & Szpakowicz); it's also one of the things that made me NOT change the name after I had completely rewritten most of the program. If you want a really fast Prolog, try Prolog-68 (comp.binaries.atari.st, volume 13, available on the Panarthea server). It is about 26 times faster than TOU Prolog ST; on the nrev benchmark, it almost reaches 12 KLIPS. If there is any faster Prolog for the ST, I would like to hear about it ... The trouble with Prolog-68 is that it is a pre-release version; some major features like assert/retract are still missing, and so is most of the doumentation. >Now i use SALIX prolog. It is a commercial (approx. DM 200) >package from germany. Its fast and reasonably bug resitant. >The gem interface is nice (It is in prolog and no to slow). I never got to write a GEM interface for TOY Prolog, it would have been impossible to uuusssseee iiitttt, anyway :-(. Jens Kilian -- ** kilian@cc.GaTech.edu ** SnailMail: 200 Cityline Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308 **** * "As the air to a bird, or the sea to a fish, so is contempt * * to the contemptible." --William Blake * ** Fax: (404) 853-9378 *********** All addresses valid until June only ******** <<< End of forwarded message -- Klamer -- Klamer Schutte Faculty of electrical engineering -- University of Twente, The Netherlands klamer@mi.eltn.utwente.nl {backbone}!mcsun!mi.eltn.utwente.nl!klamer