Re: Wanted: introductory book on compiler construction

> I looking for an introductory/beginner level book on compiler
> construction. I have found some interesting books. Unhappily, I
> haven't found one that describes a compiler for an Intel box. I don't
> care whatever simple the described compiler is, but what I am looking
> for is one that is functional and compiles for the Intel
> processors. Does anybody know such a book?


I would try the Alan Holub book... The source for the compiler does
come on a floppy for your standard Intel box. I presume that your
interest is so that you can hack the compiler to try different
alternatives.


IMHO, Holub did for compilers with that book what both Doug Comer and
Andrew Tanenbaum did with their respective books on Operating Systems
(Xinu and Minix). Stop focusing students on solving philosophical
problems... Show them a sample application and then work back to the
theory.


> [95% of the issues in building a compiler are the same regardless of
> what target machine you have in mind, which I suspect is why there
> aren't any books that are Intel-specific. But I must admit that if there's
> any target that might need a book of its own, the x86 is it. -John]


Yes... but it is really nice to have the source for a compiler around
so that you can hack it.... (Soapbox) Too many academics believe that
you can teach computer science without lab work, and too many of their
students find it hard to get work... ;-)


Thank you.


Steve Simmons
[Holub's book uses as its target language a tiny subset of C that's
trivally turned into assembler. So long as you can deal with all of
the errors in the book (see the errata list in message 90-06-081) it's
a good choice. -John]






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