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This series is one of the best introductions to compiler construction. It doesn't cover everything and it's 25 years old now, but it is the only guide I know o

This series is one of the best introductions to compiler construction. It doesn't cover everything and it's 25 years old now, but it is the only guide I know of that will hold your hand as you build a working compiler from scratch. If you have never built a compiler before, I cannot think of a better place to start. Afterward, if you're curious about theory and advanced topics, I recommend heading to Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools by Aho, Sethi, and Ullman (which covers a lot of theory associated with front-ends) then proceeding to Modern Compiler Construction in ML by Appel (which covers some more advanced topics and back-end stuff). Then you can continue reading about more specific/advanced topics if you like.

fusiongyro 13y ago
A port of it to Python would probably be a better place to start. Not many people are conversant in Pascal these days.
- groovy2shoes 13y ago
  It's easy enough to follow along. The snippets are simple enough that anyone who knows a procedural language won't have trouble understanding what they do, and from there it's pretty trivial to write the equivalent code in another language. You can get pretty close by writing C with a few helper functions.
- FedRegister 13y ago
  It gives me an excuse to install Free Pascal and give it a whirl though.
  - groovy2shoes 13y ago
    That's the spirit!
segmondy 13y ago
This is more specific to C, but can still be applied to other areas. I always thought it was a great read. A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation https://sites.google.com/site/lccretargetablecompiler/ https://sites.google.com/site/lccretargetablecompiler/
SilasX 13y ago
I just looked at the chapters, and it's kind of funny that it gets these accolades despite being written as a 80-char-width text-only file. Edit: I don't say that to disparage it; I actually think that's an impressive accomplishment.
- derleth 13y ago
  He's lucky he had an 80-column card! ;-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_80-Column_Text_Card http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_80-Column_Text_Card
frigg 13y ago
There is a class about compilers on coursera [1] which should be pretty good and more up to date. [1] https://www.coursera.org/course/compilers https://www.coursera.org/course/compilers
- groovy2shoes 13y ago
  The class is good, but very time-consuming and spends a lot of time on theory. Expect to spend at least 10 hours a week between lectures, quizzes, and the project.
- dochtman 13y ago
  Seconded. My experience: Taking this course was an great way to learn more about compilers and fill a hole in my CS curriculum. Professor Alex Aiken is a great instructor and covers a good amount of material. I learned a lot about compiler construction despite having toyed with my own compiler before starting the course. The programming assignments were particularly tough, giving me useful experience in building compilers and a great sense of achievement. (TL;DR from my full blog post: http://dirkjan.ochtman.nl/writing/2012/07/21/compilers-on-coursera.html http://dirkjan.ochtman.nl/writing/2012/07/21/compilers-on-co...)
reginaldjcooper 13y ago
I've seen Engineering a Compiler get recommended as well, have you read that one?
- groovy2shoes 13y ago
  I have that one on my shelf. It's decent, but it doesn't cover anything that the other two don't. Compared to Engineering a Compiler, the Aho, Sethi, and Ullman book goes into more depth on the theory, and the Appel book has a better breadth of topics. It's not a bad book by any means, but I'd recommend that if you only have the cash for one book, go for the Appel book.

fusiongyro 13y ago

A port of it to Python would probably be a better place to start. Not many people are conversant in Pascal these days.

groovy2shoes 13y ago
It's easy enough to follow along. The snippets are simple enough that anyone who knows a procedural language won't have trouble understanding what they do, and from there it's pretty trivial to write the equivalent code in another language. You can get pretty close by writing C with a few helper functions.
FedRegister 13y ago
It gives me an excuse to install Free Pascal and give it a whirl though.
- groovy2shoes 13y ago
  That's the spirit!

segmondy 13y ago

This is more specific to C, but can still be applied to other areas. I always thought it was a great read. A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation https://sites.google.com/site/lccretargetablecompiler/ https://sites.google.com/site/lccretargetablecompiler/

SilasX 13y ago

I just looked at the chapters, and it's kind of funny that it gets these accolades despite being written as a 80-char-width text-only file. Edit: I don't say that to disparage it; I actually think that's an impressive accomplishment.

derleth 13y ago
He's lucky he had an 80-column card! ;-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_80-Column_Text_Card http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_80-Column_Text_Card

frigg 13y ago

There is a class about compilers on coursera [1] which should be pretty good and more up to date. [1] https://www.coursera.org/course/compilers https://www.coursera.org/course/compilers

groovy2shoes 13y ago
The class is good, but very time-consuming and spends a lot of time on theory. Expect to spend at least 10 hours a week between lectures, quizzes, and the project.
dochtman 13y ago
Seconded. My experience: Taking this course was an great way to learn more about compilers and fill a hole in my CS curriculum. Professor Alex Aiken is a great instructor and covers a good amount of material. I learned a lot about compiler construction despite having toyed with my own compiler before starting the course. The programming assignments were particularly tough, giving me useful experience in building compilers and a great sense of achievement. (TL;DR from my full blog post: http://dirkjan.ochtman.nl/writing/2012/07/21/compilers-on-coursera.html http://dirkjan.ochtman.nl/writing/2012/07/21/compilers-on-co...)

reginaldjcooper 13y ago

I've seen Engineering a Compiler get recommended as well, have you read that one?

groovy2shoes 13y ago
I have that one on my shelf. It's decent, but it doesn't cover anything that the other two don't. Compared to Engineering a Compiler, the Aho, Sethi, and Ullman book goes into more depth on the theory, and the Appel book has a better breadth of topics. It's not a bad book by any means, but I'd recommend that if you only have the cash for one book, go for the Appel book.