Re: database: prolog and relational

From: Matthew Huntbach <mmh_at_dcs.qmw.ac.uk>
Date: 7 Jun 2004 10:07:12 GMT
Message-ID: <ca1eog$acu$3@beta.qmul.ac.uk>

In comp.lang.prolog Tony Douglas <tonyisyourpal_at_netscape.net> wrote:

> I have on occasion seen Prolog referred to as "relational". I think
> this is incorrect. A Prolog system effectively consists of a database
> of facts, a collection of predicates which tie the facts together (and
> can in turn assert new facts or retract old ones), a bactracking
> algorithm and a unifier.

Prolog is "relational" in the sense that it's based on the mathematical idea of relations, as opposed to "functional" languages which are based on the mathematical idea of functions. The term is not intended to refer to "relational databases".

Matthew Huntbach Received on Mon Jun 07 2004 - 05:07:12 CDT