writing a compiler...

Hello,


I would like some advice on how to start learning and practicing the
"art" of writing compilers. I will review/study all the academical
material on compiler theory and so on (dragon book), but what I am
asking you is how to start with the practice....


While I am learning the theory I need to keep motivated by doing some
practice... As a result, I would love to write some very trivial
compilers while I am studying those couple of theoretical books...


I guess I am already able to write some very trivial compiler, but I
do not want to do it in the wrong way. I would therefore appreciate
some advice, some links, some trivial compilers to look at, some
books, some exercises and so on...


Finally, I would prefer not to use flex, yacc and bison (etc..), they
are wonderful tools, but... I want to start this for my own pleasure
and this means that I want to do all the job without using any
external tool. This is why good advices on how to start parsing (for
compilers), scanning, grammar etc.. are very appreciated as well!


I thank you very much in advance.


Tommy


P.S. I forgot to mention... I am proficient in C and C++ so these are
the languages I prefer to use to write code. However, I understand and
I am able to "use" Pascal and Java too. (It seems as if all the
material out there is outdated and in Pascal-like languages, I would
like to write a Pascal compiler because Pascal is "formally defined"
and easy, but I would rather use C and not Pascal to do that. Still, I
definately do not want to write a C++ compiler, I guess I would be
spending the rest of my life trying to interpret the standard in the
"right" sense!

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