Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.dougwise.org!news.le-studio75.com!feedme.ziplink.net!border4.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!novia!news-out.readnews.com!news-xxxfer.readnews.com!news.misty.com!news.iecc.com!nerds-end From: glen herrmannsfeldt Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: The STEP Preprocessor Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:39:37 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 23 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <11-07-020@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com X-Trace: gal.iecc.com 1310468706 52424 64.57.183.58 (12 Jul 2011 11:05:06 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:05:06 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: interpreter, history Posted-Date: 12 Jul 2011 07:05:06 EDT X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.compilers:196 Many years ago I worked with the STEP Preprocessor. It was first described to me as a form of Compiler-Compiler, but it seems more like a Preprocessor-Compiler. (It runs more like an interpreter than is usual for a compiler.) In case anyone is interested, the manual is now online at: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/stanford/slac/The_STEP_Processor.pdf Unlike many preprocessors, the macro form can describe the exact grammar required, process appropriately or print error messages, and generate any required output. I now have the source code (in Fortran-66, and in an extended Fortran processed by STEP macros.) I hope soon to send it to the software archive of bitsavers. Not that I follow preprocessors so carefully, but I don't know of anything at all similar done since then (about 1977). -- glen