<s>
Inform	O
can	O
generate	O
programs	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
Z-code	O
or	O
Glulx	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machines	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Nelson	O
released	O
Inform	O
7	O
(	O
briefly	O
known	O
as	O
Natural	B-Application
Inform	I-Application
)	O
,	O
a	O
completely	O
new	O
language	O
based	B-General_Concept
on	I-General_Concept
principles	I-General_Concept
of	I-General_Concept
natural	I-General_Concept
language	I-General_Concept
and	O
a	O
new	O
set	O
of	O
tools	O
based	O
around	O
a	O
book-publishing	O
metaphor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
compilers	B-Language
translate	O
Inform	O
code	O
to	O
story	O
files	O
for	O
Glulx	O
or	O
Z-code	O
,	O
two	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machines	I-Architecture
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andrew	O
Plotkin	O
created	O
an	O
unofficial	O
version	O
of	O
Inform	O
6	O
that	O
was	O
also	O
capable	O
of	O
generating	O
files	O
for	O
Glulx	O
,	O
a	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machine	I-Architecture
he	O
had	O
designed	O
to	O
overcome	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
several-decades-old	O
Z-machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Inform	O
6.3	O
,	O
released	O
February	O
29	O
,	O
2004	O
,	O
Inform	O
6	O
has	O
included	O
official	O
support	O
for	O
both	O
virtual	B-Architecture
machines	I-Architecture
,	O
based	O
on	O
Andrew	O
Plotkin	O
's	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
6	O
system	O
consists	O
of	O
two	O
major	O
components	O
:	O
the	O
Inform	O
compiler	B-Language
,	O
which	O
generates	O
story	O
files	O
from	O
Inform	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Inform	O
library	O
,	O
a	O
suite	O
of	O
software	O
which	O
handles	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
difficult	O
work	O
of	O
parsing	B-Language
the	O
player	O
's	O
text	O
input	O
and	O
keeping	O
track	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
Inform	O
also	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
Inform	B-Application
programming	I-Application
language	I-Application
that	O
the	O
compiler	B-Language
understands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Inform	O
6	O
and	O
the	O
Z-Machine	O
were	O
originally	O
designed	O
with	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
many	O
other	O
programs	O
have	O
been	O
developed	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
BASIC	O
interpreter	O
,	O
a	O
LISP	B-Language
tutorial	O
(	O
complete	O
with	O
interpreter	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
Tetris	B-Device
game	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
Snake	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
compiler	B-Language
generates	O
files	O
for	O
the	O
Z-machine	O
or	O
Glulx	O
(	O
also	O
called	O
story	O
files	O
)	O
from	O
Inform	O
6	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	B-Application
programming	I-Application
language	I-Application
is	O
object-oriented	B-Language
and	O
procedural	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
Inform	O
,	O
objects	O
were	O
different	O
from	O
the	O
notion	O
of	O
objects	O
from	O
object-oriented	B-Language
programming	I-Language
,	O
in	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
such	O
thing	O
as	O
a	O
class	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
procedual	O
parts	O
,	O
statements	O
and	O
operators	O
,	O
are	O
largely	O
borrowed	O
from	O
C	B-Language
,	O
with	O
the	O
notable	O
exception	O
that	O
instead	O
of	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
take	O
array	O
subscripts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Routines	O
are	O
defined	O
in	O
square	O
brackets	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
routine	O
above	O
,	O
but	O
called	O
with	O
round	O
brackets	O
as	O
in	O
C	B-Language
.	O
The	O
character	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
escape	B-Algorithm
characters	I-Algorithm
and	O
to	O
invoke	O
raw	O
Z-machine	O
opcodes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
system	O
also	O
contains	O
the	O
Inform	O
library	O
,	O
which	O
automates	O
nearly	O
all	O
the	O
most	O
difficult	O
work	O
involved	O
in	O
programming	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
;	O
specifically	O
,	O
it	O
includes	O
a	O
text	O
parser	B-Language
that	O
makes	O
sense	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
input	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
world	O
model	O
that	O
keeps	O
track	O
of	O
such	O
things	O
as	O
objects	O
(	O
and	O
their	O
properties	O
)	O
,	O
rooms	O
,	O
doors	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
inventory	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
compiler	B-Language
does	O
not	O
require	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Inform	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
games	O
may	O
use	O
no	O
library	O
at	O
all	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
direct	O
port	O
of	O
Zork	B-Application
into	O
Inform	O
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Curses	B-Application
,	O
by	O
Graham	O
Nelson	O
(	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
ever	O
written	O
in	O
the	O
Inform	B-Application
programming	I-Application
language	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zork	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Undiscovered	I-Application
Underground	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Marc	O
Blank	O
&	O
Michael	O
Berlyn	O
,	O
programmed	O
by	O
Gerry	O
Kevin	O
Wilson	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
away	O
free	O
by	O
Activision	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Zork	B-Application
:	I-Application
Grand	I-Application
Inquisitor	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anchorhead	B-Application
,	O
by	O
Michael	B-Application
S	I-Application
.	I-Application
Gentry	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
highly	O
rated	O
horror	O
story	O
inspired	O
by	O
H	O
.	O
P	O
.	O
Lovecraft	O
's	O
Cthulhu	O
Mythos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Varicella	B-Application
by	O
Adam	O
Cadre	O
(	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galatea	B-Application
,	O
by	O
Emily	O
Short	O
(	O
2000	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galatea	B-Application
is	O
focused	O
entirely	O
on	O
interaction	O
with	O
the	O
animated	O
statue	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galatea	B-Application
has	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
complex	O
interaction	O
systems	O
for	O
a	O
non-player	O
character	O
in	O
an	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adam	O
Cadre	O
called	O
Galatea	B-Application
"	O
the	O
best	O
NPC	O
ever	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Slouching	B-Application
Towards	I-Application
Bedlam	I-Application
,	O
by	O
Star	O
C	B-Language
.	O
Foster	O
and	O
Daniel	O
Ravipinto	O
(	O
2003	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
consists	O
of	O
three	O
primary	O
parts	O
:	O
The	O
Inform	O
7	O
IDE	B-Application
with	O
development	O
tools	O
specialized	O
for	O
testing	O
interactive	O
fiction	O
,	O
the	O
Inform	O
7	O
compiler	B-Language
for	O
the	O
new	O
language	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
The	O
Standard	O
Rules	O
"	O
which	O
form	O
the	O
core	O
library	O
for	O
Inform	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
also	O
relies	O
on	O
the	O
Inform	O
library	O
and	O
Inform	O
compiler	B-Language
from	O
Inform	O
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
compiler	B-Language
compiles	B-Language
the	O
Inform	O
7	O
source	O
code	O
into	O
Inform	O
6	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
then	O
compiled	B-Language
separately	O
by	O
Inform	O
6	O
to	O
generate	O
a	O
Glulx	O
or	O
Z-code	O
story	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
also	O
defaults	O
to	O
writing	O
Blorb	B-Application
files	O
,	O
archives	O
which	O
include	O
the	O
Z-code	O
together	O
with	O
optional	O
"	O
cover	O
art	O
"	O
and	O
metadata	O
intended	O
for	O
indexing	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
set	O
of	O
Inform	O
7	O
tools	O
are	O
currently	O
available	O
for	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
(	O
since	O
2007	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
Inform	O
7	O
is	O
open	O
source	O
and	O
developed	O
on	O
GitHub	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
was	O
named	O
Natural	B-Application
Inform	I-Application
for	O
a	O
brief	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
later	O
renamed	O
Inform	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
old	O
name	O
is	O
why	O
the	O
Inform	O
7	O
compiler	B-Language
is	O
named	O
"	O
NI.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
comes	O
with	O
an	O
integrated	B-Application
development	I-Application
environment	I-Application
(	O
IDE	B-Application
)	O
for	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
IDE	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Andrew	O
Hunter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
IDE	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
David	O
Kinder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Linux	B-Application
IDE	B-Application
(	O
known	O
as	O
GNOME	O
Inform	O
)	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Philip	O
Chimento	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Inform	O
7	O
IDE	B-Application
includes	O
a	O
text	O
editor	O
for	O
editing	O
Inform	O
7	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IDE	B-Application
includes	O
a	O
built-in	O
Z-code	O
interpreter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
IDE	B-Application
's	O
interpreter	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Zoom	O
interpreter	O
by	O
Andrew	O
Hunter	O
,	O
with	O
contributions	O
from	O
Jesse	O
McGrew	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
IDE	B-Application
's	O
interpreter	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
WinFrotz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
developer	O
tests	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
built-in	O
interpreter	O
,	O
progress	O
is	O
tracked	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
skein	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
transcript	O
"	O
views	O
of	O
the	O
IDE	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IDE	B-Application
also	O
provides	O
various	O
indices	O
into	O
the	O
program	O
under	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IDE	B-Application
presents	O
two	O
side-by-side	O
panes	O
for	O
working	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
pane	O
can	O
contain	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
being	O
worked	O
on	O
,	O
the	O
current	O
status	O
of	O
compilation	B-Language
,	O
the	O
skein	O
,	O
the	O
transcript	O
,	O
the	O
indices	O
of	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
a	O
running	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
documentation	O
for	O
Inform	O
7	O
or	O
any	O
installed	O
extensions	O
to	O
it	O
,	O
or	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
features	O
include	O
strong	O
bias	O
towards	O
declarative	B-Language
rule-based	O
style	O
of	O
programming	O
and	O
ability	O
to	O
infer	O
types	O
and	O
properties	O
of	O
objects	O
from	O
the	O
way	O
they	O
are	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inform	O
7	O
is	O
a	O
highly	O
domain-specific	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
,	O
providing	O
the	O
writer/programmer	O
with	O
a	O
much	O
higher	O
level	O
of	O
abstraction	O
than	O
Inform	O
6	O
,	O
and	O
highly	O
readable	O
resulting	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
Inform	O
7	O
,	O
the	O
compiler	B-Language
translates	O
the	O
code	O
to	O
Inform	O
6	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
CFront	B-Device
did	O
with	O
C++	O
and	O
C	B-Language
.	O
The	O
current	O
compiler	B-Language
(	O
as	O
of	O
version	O
10	O
of	O
2022	O
)	O
is	O
additionally	O
able	O
to	O
translate	O
the	O
code	O
directly	O
to	O
C	B-Language
for	O
a	O
native	O
executable	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
generate	O
an	O
"	O
index	O
mini-website	O
"	O
describing	O
the	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
relies	O
on	O
the	O
library	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
The	O
Standard	O
Rules	O
"	O
which	O
are	O
automatically	O
included	O
in	O
all	O
Inform	O
7	O
compilations	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bronze	O
(	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
traditional	O
puzzle-intensive	O
game	O
)	O
and	O
Damnatio	O
Memoriae	O
(	O
a	O
follow-up	O
to	O
her	O
award-winning	O
Inform	O
6	O
game	O
Savoir-Faire	B-Application
)	O
were	O
joined	O
by	O
Graham	O
Nelson	O
's	O
The	O
Reliques	O
of	O
Tolti-Aph	O
(	O
2006	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rendition	B-Application
,	O
by	O
nespresso	O
(	O
2007	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
political	O
art	O
experiment	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
text	O
adventure	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
