GNU Prolog
Encyclopedia
GNU Prolog is a compiler
developed by Daniel Diaz with an interactive debugging
environment for Prolog
available for Unix
, Windows
and Mac OS X
. It also supports some extensions to Prolog including constraint programming
over a finite domain, parsing using definite clause grammar
s, and an operating system
interface.
The compiler converts the source code
into byte code that can be interpreted by a Warren abstract machine
(WAM) and converts that to standalone executable
s.
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
developed by Daniel Diaz with an interactive debugging
Debugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...
environment for Prolog
Prolog
Prolog is a general purpose logic programming language associated with artificial intelligence and computational linguistics.Prolog has its roots in first-order logic, a formal logic, and unlike many other programming languages, Prolog is declarative: the program logic is expressed in terms of...
available for Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. It also supports some extensions to Prolog including constraint programming
Constraint programming
Constraint programming is a programming paradigm wherein relations between variables are stated in the form of constraints. Constraints differ from the common primitives of imperative programming languages in that they do not specify a step or sequence of steps to execute, but rather the properties...
over a finite domain, parsing using definite clause grammar
Definite clause grammar
A definite clause grammar is a way of expressing grammar, either for natural or formal languages, in a logic programming language such as Prolog. DCGs are usually associated with Prolog, but similar languages such as Mercury also include DCGs...
s, and an operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
interface.
The compiler converts the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
into byte code that can be interpreted by a Warren abstract machine
Warren abstract machine
In 1983, David H. D. Warren designed an abstract machine for the execution of Prolog consisting of a memory architecture and an instruction set. This design became known as the Warren Abstract Machine and has become the de facto standard target for Prolog compilers.-Purpose:The purpose of...
(WAM) and converts that to standalone executable
Executable
In computing, an executable file causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions," as opposed to a data file that must be parsed by a program to be meaningful. These instructions are traditionally machine code instructions for a physical CPU...
s.