https://github.com/DavidKinder/Inform6

The latest version of the Inform 6 compiler, used for generating interactive fiction games.
https://github.com/DavidKinder/Inform6

Last synced: 5 days ago
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The latest version of the Inform 6 compiler, used for generating interactive fiction games.

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/DavidKinder/Inform6
• Owner: DavidKinder
• License: other
• Created: 2010-11-05T12:00:59.000Z (about 14 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2024-08-29T21:57:16.000Z (2 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-08-29T23:56:30.399Z (2 months ago)
• Language: C
• Homepage: http://inform-fiction.org/
• Size: 1.91 MB
• Stars: 202
• Watchers: 33
• Forks: 34
• Open Issues: 20
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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• awesome-programming-languages - Inform 6 - The latest version of the Inform 6 compiler, used for generating interactive fiction games. (Uncategorized / Uncategorized)

README

        
# Inform 6

This is Inform 6.42, copyright (c) Graham Nelson 1993 - 2024, a compiler for

interactive fiction (text adventure games).

Release notes, manuals, executables and more are available from

https://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archive/infocom/compilers/inform6/.

## Introduction

Back in the late 1980s, people began investigating the format of Infocom's

text adventures. Infocom used a standard format that defined a virtual

machine, which has come to be known as the Z-Machine, to allow them to be

able to port their games to many different computers. This investigation lead

to the creation of open source implementations of the Z-Machine, such as the

InfoTaskForce interpreter, Zip, Frotz, and many others.

In 1993, Graham Nelson released the first version of Inform, which compiled a

somewhat C-like language ("Inform") to the Z-Machine. In the years that

followed this led to the creation of hundreds of free games by a community

that had sprung up based around the Usenet group rec.arts.int-fiction.

The latest version of Inform is [Inform 7](http://inform7.com/), but Inform 6

still lives on, both as the code generator used by Inform 7, and as a language

and compiler in its own right. Inform 6 is now considered stable and only has

bugs fixed and minor, non-breaking features added, but development continues.

## Using Inform 6

To use the compiler, you will need an executable. There are

[pre-built executables](https://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archive/infocom/compilers/inform6/executables/)

available, or you can compile the source yourself. There is no makefile as

compilation does not really need one: all that is required is a C compiler and

for it to be invoked with something like

      cc -O2 -o inform *.c

Suitable defaults for various operating systems can be selected by defining

the appropriate symbol, a list of which are near the top of the "header.h"

file (under "Our host machine or OS for today is..."). For example, to compile

for Windows, use

      cc -DPC_WIN32 -O2 -o inform *.c

To write a work of interactive fiction with Inform 6, you will also need a

version of the Inform 6 library.

[Stable versions](https://ifarchive.org/indexes/if-archive/infocom/compilers/inform6/library/)

of the library are available, and development of the library continues in a

[separate project](https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/inform6lib).

More resources and documentation, including the Inform Designer's Manual, are

available from the [Inform 6 web site](https://www.inform-fiction.org/).