Re: The compilation approach in modern languages

George Neuner <gneuner2@comcast.net> writes:
>On 28 Feb 2005 00:53:47 -0500, anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton
>Ertl) wrote:
>>What I am thinking of when I hear Lisp and run-time compilation are
>>things like macros and back-quote.
>
>Most macro use in Lisp occurs at development time.


Yes, what I meant here is the ability of Lisp and other languages to
compile at run-time to also run at compile-time, i.e., to use the full
power of the language in macro processing.


The resulting lack of a straight compile-time/run-time boundary is
reflectyed in your use of "development time" (vs. "use time").


Of course, there may be several development times: If a program
generator (e.g., a parser generator is involved), there's the
development time of the generator, and the development time of the
generated program.


> A program whose normal operation requires a lot of run time macro
>expansion is either doing something incredibly smart or insanely
>stupid.


Writing a program generator does not require incredible smarts,
although it may be unidiomatic in Lisp; maybe Lispers prefer to write
meta-interpreters, instead of generators.


- anton
--
M. Anton Ertl
anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/anton/home.html

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