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In one sense yes, but GCC the utility is an optimizing compiler. Would you call a sed script which converted Java to ES6 via regexes a compiler, even though no
by cromwellian 11y ago
In one sense yes, but GCC the utility is an optimizing compiler.
Would you call a sed script which converted Java to ES6 via regexes a compiler, even though not an ounce of compiler theory was used?
I would define transpilers as a subset of compilers that are are only interested in high level language conversion.
It's the difference between say, translating books between foreign languages, and being an editor who rewrites a book to be better.
- monocasa 11y agoI mean... sed is Turing complete. Yeah, it's in the Turing tarpit, but if you were able to successfully translate Java to ES6 in a sed script, yes I would call that a compiler. In a lot of ways, much of compiler theory is concerned with the best way to write a compiler (for many different optimization functions of "best"), not the only ways to do so. Just being a crappy compiler doesn't make it any less of a compiler.