Editing Inform (section)

{{short description|Programming language and design system}}
{{About|the programming language}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Inform
| logo                   = [[File:Inform 7 IDE Icon.png]]<!-- FAIR USE: Low resolution icon for program, for identification purposes. -->
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| author                 = [[Graham Nelson]]
| developer              = [[Graham Nelson]]
| released               = 
| latest release version = 10.1.2
| latest release date    = {{start date|2022|08|31}}<ref>{{cite web
  | url        = https://github.com/ganelson/inform/blob/master/notes/release/10-1-0.md
  | title      = Release notes for Inform v10.1.0 and v10.1.1
  | access-date = 2022-08-26
  | publisher  = github.com
  }}</ref>
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date    = 
| operating system       = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[macOS|Mac OS X]], [[Linux]], others
| platform               = 
| status                 = 
| genre                  = [[Interactive fiction]] development and play
| license                = [[Artistic License|Artistic 2.0]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://intfiction.org/t/inform-7-v10-1-0-is-now-open-source/55674|title=Inform 7 v10.1.0 is now open-source|date=April 28, 2022 |access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref>
| website                = https://ganelson.github.io/inform-website/
}}
'''Inform''' is a [[programming language]] and design system for [[interactive fiction]] originally created in 1993 by [[Graham Nelson]]. Inform can generate programs designed for the [[Z-machine|Z-code]] or [[Glulx]] virtual machines. Versions 1 through 5 were released between 1993 and 1996. Around 1996, Nelson rewrote Inform from [[first principle]]s to create version 6 (or '''Inform 6''').<ref name="spag44">{{cite web
  | url        = http://www.spagmag.org/archives/backissues/SPAG44
  | title      = The SPAG Interview: Graham Nelson and Emily Short on Inform 7
  | access-date = 2015-11-07
  | date       = 2006-04-30
  | work       = SPAG #44
  | publisher  = The Society for the Promotion of Adventure Games
  }}</ref> Over the following decade, version 6 became reasonably stable and a popular language for writing interactive fiction. In 2006, Nelson released '''Inform 7''' (briefly known as '''Natural Inform'''), a completely new language [[Natural language programming|based on principles of natural language]] and a new set of tools based around a book-publishing metaphor.