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EDUCATIONAL PEARL: A Nanopass framework for compiler education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2005

DIPANWITA SARKAR ,
OSCAR WADDELL  and
R. KENT DYBVIG
DIPANWITA SARKAR
Affiliation:
Microsoft Corporation (e-mail: dipas@microsoft.com)
OSCAR WADDELL
Affiliation:
Abstrax, Inc. (e-mail: owaddell@abstrax.com)
R. KENT DYBVIG
Affiliation:
Indiana University, IN, USA (e-mail: dyb@cs.indiana.edu)
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Abstract

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A compiler structured as a small number of monolithic passes is difficult to understand and difficult to maintain. The steep learning curve is daunting, and even experienced developers find that modifying existing passes is difficult and often introduces subtle and tenacious bugs. These problems are especially frustrating when the developer is a student in a compiler class. An attractive alternative is to structure a compiler as a collection of many fine-grained passes, each of which performs a single task. This structure aligns the implementation of a compiler with its logical organization, simplifying development, testing, and debugging. This paper describes the methodology and tools comprising a framework for constructing such compilers.

Information

Type
Educational Pearl
Information
Journal of Functional Programming , Volume 15 , Issue 5 , September 2005 , pp. 653 - 667
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

Footnotes

A preliminary version of this article was presented at the 2004 International Conference on Functional Programming.
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