Re: Bourne shell script compiler?

In article <791@wsc-sun.BOEING.COM> cek@wsc-sun.boeing.com (Conrad Kimball) writes:
>I'm looking for a Bourne shell script compiler - that is, a compiler that
>accepts a Bourne shell (sh) script as input and produces C code as output.


Based on some experience with a pre-Bourne (!) shell compiler, long ago,
the benefits of such a thing are limited unless it incorporates extensive
knowledge of the more common programs invoked from shell scripts. Running
a shell script comprises parsing, interpretation (variables etc.), and
execution (fork/exec) of programs. A simpleminded shell compiler eliminates
the parsing and streamlines much of the interpretation, but it's the execution
that is usually the bottleneck. You won't see a big win unless the compiler
is smart enough to optimize out some of the execution.
--
Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology, henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
--

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