5 ms·

If it is just a frontend, does it mean that it could be used everywhere the backend is used?

• pjmlp 2y ago
  First you need to create a backend that understands what the frontend generates. https://godbolt.org/z/rzMcs6nvh https://godbolt.org/z/rzMcs6nvh
  • bbsbbs 2y ago
    I see... Does it mean that the compiler is more than just a frontend? Or maybe I don't understand what a frontend is?
    • pjmlp 2y ago
      It definitly is. Frontend in a compiler, is what converts the text code representation of the language into some intermediary format, usually a graph or intermediate language, that is than further processed for type checking and other semantic analysis, suffering other transformations in the process, until fed into the backend, which takes it from there for the further phases required to generate machine code. https://llvm.org/docs/tutorial/MyFirstLanguageFrontend/index.html https://llvm.org/docs/tutorial/MyFirstLanguageFrontend/index...
      • bbsbbs 2y ago
        Thank you for your explanations. I don't understand why you provided that link to goldbolt though? What was it supposed to demonstrate? Also, you said that one need a backend for a frontend (to be useful I guess). Do you mean to say that the "Carbon" frontend does not have any backend to work with?
        • pjmlp 2y ago
          I suggest learning about compilers in first place. https://www3.nd.edu/~dthain/compilerbook/compilerbook.pdf https://www3.nd.edu/~dthain/compilerbook/compilerbook.pdf
          • bbsbbs 2y ago
            Oh, thank you... I am sorry I bothered you with my annoying questions..
            • pjmlp 2y ago
              No worries, I see some interest there, hence pointing out some literature on the subject, and the LLVM tutorial, as means for getting a better understanding than through plain HN comments.