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I once asked a retired Japanese computer scientist why the 5th generation project had failed. He said: "What do you mean 'failed'? All my former colleagues who
by zmonx 9y ago
I once asked a retired Japanese computer scientist why the 5th generation project had failed. He said: "What do you mean 'failed'? All my former colleagues who had worked on this project went on to become full professors!"
Also, I once attended a talk by a Japanese researcher who was intimately involved in the project. One significant phenomenon at that time was that commodity hardware was progressing much faster than had been anticipated, in the end eclipsing the specialized designs that were being worked on.
There are other reasons too, and here I can only say that Prolog as it is today had very little to do with the outcome. In fact I think this would be a great follow-up question to the present discussion!
- nickpsecurity 9y ago"One significant phenomenon at that time was that commodity hardware was progressing much faster than had been anticipated, in the end eclipsing the specialized designs that were being worked on." This is exactly what happened. A slow language like Prolog on OK hardware that accelerates it can't compete with a fast language like (not-Prolog) on highly-custom, top-of-the-line hardware that accelerates it. It can't in the general case and plenty times not in the special case. Now, that was when Moore's Law was in full swing. There's potential now for that pendulum to swing in reverse for something like this.