A Guide to Artificial Intelligence with Visual Prolog

Book excerpt: Get started with the simplest, most powerful prolog ever: Visual Prolog If you want to explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), you need to know your way around Prolog. Prolog - which stands for "programming with logic" - is one of the most effective languages for building AI applications, thanks to its unique approach. Rather than writing a program that spells out exactly how to solve a problem, with Prolog you define a problem with logical Rules, and then set the computer loose on it. This paradigm shift from Procedural to Declarative programming makes Prolog ideal for applications involving AI, logic, language parsing, computational linguistics, and theorem-proving. Now, Visual Prolog (available as a free download) offers even more with its powerful Graphical User Interface (GUI), built-in Predicates, and rather large provided Program Foundation Class (PFC) libraries. A Guide to Artificial Intelligence with Visual Prolog is an excellent introduction to both Prolog and Visual Prolog. Designed for newcomers to Prolog with some conventional programming background (such as BASIC, C, C++, Pascal, etc.), Randall Scott proceeds along a logical, easy-to-grasp path as he explains the beginnings of Prolog, classic algorithms to get you started, and many of the unique features of Visual Prolog. Readers will also gain key insights into application development, application design, interface construction, troubleshooting, and more. In addition, there are numerous sample examples to learn from, copious illustrations and information on helpful resources. A Guide to Artificial Intelligence with Visual Prolog is less like a traditional textbook and more like a workshop where you can learn at your own pace - so you can start harnessing the power of Visual Prolog for whatever your mind can dream up.