Re: How hard is it to write a compiler ?

david lindauer <dlindauer@notifier-is.net>
26 Oct 2000 02:48:21 -0400

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From: david lindauer <dlindauer@notifier-is.net>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: 26 Oct 2000 02:48:21 -0400
Organization: IgLou Internet Services, Inc.
References: 00-10-190
Keywords: practice

Lionel Pinkhard wrote:
> However, C/C++ and Java are pretty tough, since it's hard to put
> them into BNF, and all that, but it's just a lot of work, and I still
> think that one or two programmers should be enough.


Yeah, but for a C compiler it takes time. I started with a K&R C
compiler I had found on the net in 1995, and by the end of 1998 I had
an entire tools package based around an ANSI C compiler. Granted I
didn't work full time on it- and also there are other tools involved
besides the C compiler itself, but it does take time. There are a lot
of details involved in getting a compiler to generate good code
consistent with the expectations for the language.


There are by the way complete grammars for various languages on the
net (the moderator hosts some of them on his site).


David

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