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Ask HN: What is LLVM (from the perspective of a middling Rails developer)?
I generally understand that a compiler takes code (written in a language that needs to be compiled like C) and generates machine/assembly(?) code from it -- but I don't really understand why that makes LLVM the big deal it currently is. I don't have a CS degree, but I understand some of the concepts (like notation, sets, etc).
Can someone ELIaRailsDeveloper what the LLVM and why that is a big deal?
- mattiemass 11y agoTraditionally, compilers were built as tools for end-user developers. LLVM , instead, is a library you can use to make a compiler. Clang, for example, uses the LLVM API to produce a form that the LLVM subsystems can compile into actual machine code. Interesting, clang actually did this too - it itself is a C/ObjC/C++ parser library, which can be used to make a tool. LLVM is fantastic because, as a language developer, you can focus on your parsing and language-specific features without needing to concern yourself with machine code generation. LLVM does that all for you.