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From: ke@otter.hpl.hp.com (Kave Eshghi)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog
Subject: Re: Arrays in Prolog
Message-ID: <1600024@otter.hpl.hp.com>
Date: 28 Aug 90 12:53:18 GMT
References: <90239.175243SCHMIED@DB0TUI11.BITNET>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Lines: 17

First of all: it is nonesense to say that one should not use arrays
becauses it involves destructive assignment. In fact, the reason one
needs to use arrays is precisely that one needs the efficiency of destructive
assignment for very large data structures. (Well it is one of the reasons
anyway.) I find the dogmatism of the Prolog purists who oppose arrays and
then (surreptitiously) condone using asserts and retracts bordering on 
religious fanaticism.

On the practical side, for those who use the Poplog system, there is a very
neat solution to this problem. Simply use Pop11 arrays to store your Prolog
terms. The interface between Pop11 and Prolog is almost transparent for
this type of thing, and you will not have any of the usual headaches related
to multiple-language programming.

For those who do not use Poplog, well....

Kave Eshghi