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Are you trying to dispute that compilers are large and complex? It seems like you are saying that if the language is simple, a non-optimizing compiler for it ca
by ttd 9y ago
Are you trying to dispute that compilers are large and complex? It seems like you are saying that if the language is simple, a non-optimizing compiler for it can be simple, which seems somewhat obvious. I think the "microcosm of computer science" and associated complexity become apparent when the source language is not simple, the middle end contains many optimization passes, and the back end requires more than simple statement emission.
- Someone 9y agoYes. The categorical statement “compilers are large and complex” is incorrect, and IMO is detrimental to getting people interested in the field. We don’t say “Web applications are large and complex”, either. Just as you can start simple with a web application and, if needed, grow it, you can start with a simple compiler and, if needed, grow it. (And, on current hardware, I think the complexity of the language matters less than it used to. Single pass languages such as pascal still are easier targets, but computers have plenty of RAM, so fixing up things is easier than it used to be.