iso_dif/2 is much simpler to implement than a comparison: The built-in \= operator is available You now exactly what arguments to provide to\= Definition Based on your comments, the safe comparison means that the order won’t change if variables in both subterms are instanciated. If we name the comparison lt, we have for example: lt(a(X), … Read more
Here is a pure version using dif/2 which implements sound inequality. dif/2 is offered by B-Prolog, YAP-Prolog, SICStus-Prolog and SWI-Prolog. firstdup(E, [E|L]) :- member(E, L). firstdup(E, [N|L]) :- non_member(N, L), firstdup(E, L). member(E, [E|_L]). member(E, [_X|L]) :- member(E, L). non_member(_E, []). non_member(E, [F|Fs]) :- dif(E, F), non_member(E, Fs). The advantages are that it can also … Read more
For elegance and didactic reasons alone, dif/2 is clearly preferable here and also in the vast majority of other cases, since as you already note “a lot of unnecessary unifications might take place” otherwise, and also because dif/2 is a pure and nicely declarative predicate that can be used in all directions and at any … Read more
In place of not(X = Y) you need to write \+ X = Y or X \= Y. But consider to use dif(X,Y) instead. dif/2 is present in B, SWI, YAP, SICStus. To see the difference: ?- X = b, dif(a, X). X = b. ?- X = b, \+ a = X. X = … Read more
The actual reason for your problem is (\==)/2 within different/2. It succeeds simply too often. Replace it with dif/2 and you will get the expected behavior. dif/2 is available in many Prolog systems like SICStus, YAP, B, SWI. You can also define a safe approximation in ISO-Prolog like so: iso_dif(X, Y) :- X \== Y, … Read more
Well for one thing, the name should be more declarative, like equality_truth/2.