Flex vs Cocktail "Rex"

ariadne@access.mbnet.mb.ca (Parzival)
14 Nov 1996 21:55:28 -0500

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Flex vs Cocktail "Rex" ariadne@access.mbnet.mb.ca (1996-11-14)
Re: Flex vs Cocktail "Rex" clark@quarry.zk3.dec.com (1996-11-21)
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From: ariadne@access.mbnet.mb.ca (Parzival)
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: 14 Nov 1996 21:55:28 -0500
Organization: The University of Manitoba
Keywords: lex

I am using Josef Grosch's Cocktail compiler construction toolkit, one
component of which is the scanner generator "rex". Unfortunately, the
rex generated scanner has some bugs in it altogether too clever
buffering scheme, and I can't re-write the code because rex generates
special states that interact with the buffering scheme, So, I am
thinking that i may have to switch to another scanner generator, maybe
Vern Paxson's "flex".


My scanner is for PL/I, with both very complex tokens, and over 400
case-insensitve keywords. The Rex "tunnel automaton" does a very good
job on this scanner, and Herr Grosch's papers and examples would lead
me to expect that "flex" may not genarate an efficient automaton for
this type of scanner.


Does anyone have any comments or experience on "flex" vs "rex"?
--

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