Developers vary in their enthusiasm for logic languages. One author of a book about the logic language Prolog claims that Prolog is able to provide a better solution to the problem that object orientation was designed to solve. This seems to suggest that Prolog is more powerful than Java ”a difficult view to defend. Although it is unlikely that a logic language will displace Java, there is strong evidence that logic languages can augment Java.
The primary motivation for creating a logic language is to let your users program using rules. By incorporating a logic language in a system, you can bring rules to the surface, where a logic programmer can manipulate them directly. In practice, that logic programmer may be you. In this case your logic programming language will let you model business rules quickly, with no rebuilding and redeployment of your Java code. You may also be able to train a member of the user community to be the logic programmer. The simpler you keep your language, the more likely it is that you will succeed in delegating business rule programming to one of your users.
The business logic in most companies changes every day as businesses adjust their strategies and practices in pursuit of profits. By augmenting your system with a logic language, you can empower your users with the ability to model their evolving business logic.
