Re: Rules-based Perl?

[larsen]

knobunc's reply is good. Check Language::Prolog As far as I know, it is currently a beta version.
But, if you want to "reinvent the wheel", you should consider reading something on the following topics:

• Propositional logic
• Predicate logic
• Herbrand's Theory
• Godel-Herbrand-Skolen Theorem
• Resolution and Robinson's Algorithm
• Horn Clause Programs
• Prolog

You can check them in that order :)
Logic programming slogan "I tell you what I know and what I'd like to know, without telling you how" showed its practical unapplicability over the years: every logic programming language includes extralogic operators, such as cut, that introduce elements of imperative programming in the language ("I tell you what I know and what I'd like to know, without telling you how... Well, I will help you a bit").
Despite of their impure nature, logic programming languages are very interesting and I think they're worth studying.

[clemburg]

If you want to reinvent the wheel here, start by reading through Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp by Peter Norvig. It has working code examples on what you want. Especially relevant are chapters 6 (Tools), 11 and 12 (Logic Programming and Prolog Compiler), and 16 (Expert Systems). It should not be too hard to pull out the code you need from this book.

Christian Lemburg
Brainbench MVP for Perl
http://www.brainbench.com