Re: Help finding compiler research?

operjfk@hydra.Rose-Hulman.Edu writes:
>As a technique for selecting a graduate school, I'm trying to locate papers
>on current research in programming language design and implementation.
>
>Do I have to leaf through every issue of SIGPLAN, every POPL conference
>proceeding, and every computer publication in general to find articles on
>particular topics? Or are there indexes (sorted by subject) to computer
>publications?


For your purposes, not every issue, just *recent* issues, since they
are more likely to point you to current and ongoing research.
Most publications print the author's affiliation with his/her name
on the title page, so you can easily associate the research with
researchers, and researchers with schools.


You should also try your university's on-line catalog system and
look for books with titles such as "Current research in...",
"Advances in...", "Directions in...", etc. There are many such books,
actually just collections of articles. They might help you locate a
specific topic.


Your library's research librarian is also there to help you find the
information you need. He/she can help you use the resources available
in your library more effectively and more efficiently. Don't be shy.


>In short, my questions (relevant to this group) are
>(1) How do I find current research on a particular topic


Try ACM's Guide to Computing Literature, ACM's Computing Reviews,
Computer Literature Index, IEEE Computing Abstracts, the Index to IEEE
publications and IEEE periodicals, the Computer Select CD-ROM.


I am not sure, but I think that the AMS and SIAM also publish indices.
Lots of interesting computing science manages to stray into the
world of mathematics literature.


>(2) In my case, where can I find papers on (a) implementing compilers in
> hardware, (b) implementing type inference (a la SML), and (c) hardware
> description language systems, esp. language design and implementation


Look in the above indices, doing a subject search. Once you locate
some authors who have work that interests, do an author search to
find other work that they have done.


When you find some articles that interest you, trace down the
literature mentioned in its bibliography.


>(3) What graduate schools are doing interesting things with compilers?
> (I know of some good programs, but I want to know this group's opinion.)


You can check Peterson's guide to graduate schools. In theory,
it's supposed to help, because graduate schools usually advertise
what area they specialize in.


--Dennis Brueni
    brueni@cs.vt.edu
    Radio: N0JSQ


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