Inform (programming language)

Inform

Original author(s)	Graham Nelson
Developer(s)	Graham Nelson
Stable release	7 6L02 / May 7, 2014 (2014-05-07)
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, others
Type	Interactive fiction development and play
Website	http://inform7.com/

Inform 7

Paradigm	declarative, procedural
Designed by	Graham Nelson
Developer	Graham Nelson
First appeared	2006
Stable release	6M62 / December 24, 2015; 15 months ago (2015-12-24)
OS	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, others
License	Proprietary but freely redistributable or Artistic License 2.0
Website	http://inform7.com/
Influenced by
Inform 6

Inform is a programming language and design system for interactive fiction originally created in 1993 by Graham Nelson. Inform can generate programs designed for the Z-code or Glulx virtual machines. Versions 1 through 5 were released between 1993 and 1996. Around 1996, Nelson rewrote Inform from first principles to create version 6 (or Inform 6). Over the following decade, version 6 became reasonably stable and a popular language for writing interactive fiction. In 2006, Nelson released Inform 7 (briefly known as Natural Inform), a completely new language based on principles of natural language and a new set of tools based around a book-publishing metaphor.

All versions of Inform generate files in Z-code (also called story files) from source code. These files can then be run by any Z-code interpreter – that is, by any program which properly implements the Z-code virtual machine (or Z-machine) specification. The Z-machine was originally developed by Infocom in 1979 for their interactive fiction titles. Because there is at least one such interpreter for nearly every major and minor platform, this means that the same Z-code file can be run on a multitude of platforms with no alterations.

Andrew Plotkin created an unofficial version of Inform 6 that was also capable of generating files for Glulx, a virtual machine he had designed to overcome many of the limitations of the several-decades-old Z-machine. Starting with Inform 6.3, released February 29, 2004, Inform 6 has included official support for both virtual machines, based on Andrew Plotkin's work. Early release of Inform 7 did not support Glulx, but in August 2006 Glulx support was released.

Inform was originally created by Graham Nelson in 1993. In 1996 Nelson rewrote Inform from first principles to create version 6 (or Inform 6). Over the following decade, version 6 became reasonably stable and a popular language for writing interactive fiction.