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From: grimlok@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Percy)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog,comp.ai
Subject: Re: Suggestions for Course
Message-ID: <589@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Oct-87 15:13:51 EST
Article-I.D.: hubcap.589
Posted: Fri Oct 23 15:13:51 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Oct-87 16:54:52 EST
References: <321@ncrcam.Cambridge.NCR.COM>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 31
Xref: mnetor comp.lang.prolog:408 comp.ai:962

in article <321@ncrcam.Cambridge.NCR.COM>, morley@ncrcam.Cambridge.NCR.COM (/usr/acct/morley) says:
> Xref: hubcap comp.lang.prolog:345 comp.ai:820
> 
> In article <587@hubcap.UUCP>, steve@hubcap.UUCP ("Steve" Stevenson) writes:
>> I have to teach an AI course for folks with little or no
>> background.  I'd like to use prolog, but want to have them
>> learn it as much on their own as possible.  Any suggestions
>> for texts?
> 
> How about Turbo Prolog?  Some will argue that it is not "true" Prolog, but
> it is very close to the real thing.  The manual is in tutorial form, and is
> easy to learn and use.  Also, Borland International offers a discount to
> students.  The price is very reasonable.
> 

True about TProlog, it is almost Prolog, but not quite. In fact, at some
places it is downright divergent and unusable. But for the environment
Dr. Stevenson is in, nearly every one of his students has used at least
Turbo Pascal and possibly TurboC. They are familiar with the Borland
systems, and can concentrate on their programs rather than than their
compiler and how to use it. Also, the speed of testing is nice, the
debugging trace is helpful, and Clemson has plenty of PCs. In these
days, when the VAX machines are quickly becoming overloaded, any PC
implementation will be a plus.

So Dr. Stevenson, here is my vote for TProlog, with the proviso that you
declare to the poor students that TProlog is a mere shadow of the true
power of the language.

Mike Percy
Clemson University