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I actually started reading Wirth because I was frustrated at how little coverage there seems to be of syntax related matters (lexing and parsing) in modern intr

I actually started reading Wirth because I was frustrated at how little coverage there seems to be of syntax related matters (lexing and parsing) in modern introductory books (with a couple of exceptions, notably the Dragon Book, but I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around it). I emailed an author of a book that specifically calls parsing a "distraction" (Shriram Krishnamurthi, in PLAI) and he explained that he and other textbook authors of recent texts are reacting to a sort of over-emphasis on parsing in older books and tools (for example, YACC standing for Yet Another Compiler Constructor despite being simply a parser generator). So it's interesting what you're saying about IRs -- I've definitely noticed Shriram's book and a few other recent ones seem to focus really heavily on them. I wonder if there's also a relationship between a more IR-focused approach and the reduced emphasis on parsing?

chrisseaton 7y ago
There might be a bit of a backlash yes. But I think for example the Dragon book is comically unbalanced towards parsing. It's just ludicrous how much it drones on about this tiny tiny part of writing a compiler. I've been working professionally on one compiler continuously since 2013. I've spent like two or three days working on the parser. That's it. I've probably spent longer tweaking the Markdown of the README. For me the issue is that parsing is basically a solved problem. I don't see how you can make it much better for compilers. If you give me a language I can write you a parser for it. It won't be interesting, fun, or be better or worse than any other parser. It's a purely mechanical job. (Of course it could be a nicer parser, or a faster parser, or give better error messages, or work better for IDEs or tooling, but stick with me.) But the transformations that happen after that point? Well there a whole world opens up to you! You can do so much, in so many different ways, and achieve incredibly different results for different requirements.
pjmlp 7y ago
The tiger books are relatively alright, with ML, Java and C flavours. They have a couple of typos, and one can feel that ML one was the first variant, but they are relatively good, covering a lot, specially if one does the exercises. There is a 2nd edition for the Java one, where the tiger language gets replaced by a Java subset.
emilsoman 7y ago
Which are some books focused on IRs you’d recommend?
- cellularmitosis 7y ago
  “Engineering a compiler” deals with IR

chrisseaton 7y ago

There might be a bit of a backlash yes. But I think for example the Dragon book is comically unbalanced towards parsing. It's just ludicrous how much it drones on about this tiny tiny part of writing a compiler. I've been working professionally on one compiler continuously since 2013. I've spent like two or three days working on the parser. That's it. I've probably spent longer tweaking the Markdown of the README. For me the issue is that parsing is basically a solved problem. I don't see how you can make it much better for compilers. If you give me a language I can write you a parser for it. It won't be interesting, fun, or be better or worse than any other parser. It's a purely mechanical job. (Of course it could be a nicer parser, or a faster parser, or give better error messages, or work better for IDEs or tooling, but stick with me.) But the transformations that happen after that point? Well there a whole world opens up to you! You can do so much, in so many different ways, and achieve incredibly different results for different requirements.

pjmlp 7y ago

The tiger books are relatively alright, with ML, Java and C flavours. They have a couple of typos, and one can feel that ML one was the first variant, but they are relatively good, covering a lot, specially if one does the exercises. There is a 2nd edition for the Java one, where the tiger language gets replaced by a Java subset.

emilsoman 7y ago

Which are some books focused on IRs you’d recommend?

cellularmitosis 7y ago
“Engineering a compiler” deals with IR