Path: csiph.com!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!border3.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news.iecc.com!nerds-end From: Hans-Peter Diettrich Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: Good practical language and OS agnostic text? Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:20:11 +0200 Organization: Compilers Central Lines: 28 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <12-04-032@comp.compilers> References: <12-04-019@comp.compilers> <12-04-027@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com X-Trace: leila.iecc.com 1334891575 81810 64.57.183.58 (20 Apr 2012 03:12:55 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:12:55 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: books Posted-Date: 19 Apr 2012 23:12:55 EDT X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:575 glen herrmannsfeldt schrieb: > C is a nice, simple language in which to describe compiler design, and > also not so bad a language in which to write compilers. Given that, > it isn't a bad start toward writing one for another language, and/or > written in another language, unless you don't know C. C is an ugly language, featured (and widely used) to write cryptic code. In practice it's useless without another language, used in the preprocessor (and more languages used in "make" and the autobloat tools). Even an inventor of that language acknowleged later, that he better should have followed Wirth's advice, to e.g. make the language LL(1). The strength of C is writing low level (OS) code, but it lacks many features desireable in *managing* (such) big applications. This issue has been addressed in C++, C# and Java, later, but who would advice an newbie to implement an compiler for C++, which IMO also is everything but a "nice" or easily understandable language? But of course you are right in so far, that a C/C++ compiler is one of the best examples, where one can study much required theory, which is not required for writing compilers for better designed languages. Just my $0.02 ;-) DoDi