Re: Language used to write compilers

Nick Roberts <nick.roberts@acm.org> wrote:
> "Joe H." <joe_hesse@actcx.com> wrote:
> > Question - what languages are used to write compilers?


Many languages are used to write compilers: I know of one compiler
that was written in COBOL: because that's all the compiler writer knew!


Perhaps you mean: what languages *should* be used to write compilers?


> There are three essential aspects to writing a good compiler (which
> probably apply to most software anyway): it is well-designed; it is
> correct; it is efficient. Of these three, the first two are far more
> important than the third.
> ...
> A possible fourth aspect will be that the compiler emits
> well-optimised code, if this is in fact a specific requirement of your
> compiler.


I would put the efficiency of the generated code higher than the
efficiency of the compiler. Generally, more CPU cycles are spent
executing compiled code than on running the compiler (with the
possible exception of Gentoo Linux systems...)


If the *language* you are compiling is well designed so that modules
can be compiled separately while still generating efficient code, then
compile times on modern systems are unlikely to be an issue. Good
debugging is *much* more important: how many recompiles are caused by
the need to track down bugs? Eliminating these recompiles is a bigger
gain than speeding them up!


--
Martin


Martin.Ward@durham.ac.uk http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/ Erdos number: 4

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