A Prolog-based Environment for Reasoning about Programming Languages (Extended abstract)

TL;DR

ECLAIR is a Prolog-based environment designed for analyzing, developing, and evaluating programming language tools, showcasing Prolog's strengths and addressing potential weaknesses.

Contribution

This paper introduces ECLAIR, a comprehensive Prolog-based system for programming language analysis and implementation, highlighting its architecture and methodological foundations.

Findings

Prolog effectively supports language analysis tools.

The system demonstrates functional completeness for language research.

Potential weaknesses of Prolog are identified and discussed.

Abstract

ECLAIR is a Prolog-based prototype system aiming to provide a functionally complete environment for the study, development and evaluation of programming language analysis and implementation tools. In this paper, we sketch the overall structure of the system, outlining the main methodologies and technologies underlying its components. We also discuss the appropriateness of Prolog as the implementation language for the system: besides highlighting its strengths, we also point out a few potential weaknesses, hinting at possible solutions.