Re: What is the meaning of an expression?

From	Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	comp.compilers
Subject	Re: What is the meaning of an expression?
Date	2022-01-18 10:03 -0800
Organization	Compilers Central
Message-ID	<22-01-067@comp.compilers> (permalink)
References	<AdgJPKhi/NiNfECvRNaA6+4Wq/M8OQ==> <22-01-052@comp.compilers> <22-01-060@comp.compilers> <22-01-066@comp.compilers>

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> Now we're even deeper in the tarpit. Is the "meaning" a mathematical statement,
> an instruction to a compiler to generate code computing the value of an expression,
> something else? I don't know, and it's pretty clear none of the rest of us do either.
> -John

In my opinion, your comments are moving this discussion in the wrong
direction. In the context of compilers: a compiler isn't in control of the
meaning of the source code input into the compiler, because the input might be
a Universal Turing Machine. The compiler knows for certain that the source
code is moving a machine from one state to another state (while not in a
terminating state: perform a state transition) while the source code is being
executed - a compiler isn't trying to answer the question of what the _final_
meanings of those state transitions are. If the compiler tried to answer such
a question, then the compiler might never stop compiling the source code. The
set of terminating states is specified by the source code, not by the
compiler.

-atom
[If you go back the the start of the thread, someone asked about
a statement that "The meaning of an expression is the value of the expression."
I suppose we could ask what it means to a compiler but that seems awfully
anthropomorphic. -John]

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What is the meaning of an expression? Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org> - 2022-01-14 12:15 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2022-01-14 18:20 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-15 00:28 +0100
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-14 17:58 -0800
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? George Neuner <gneuner2@comcast.net> - 2022-01-15 02:05 -0500
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? "matt.ti...@gmail.com" <matt.timmermans@gmail.com> - 2022-01-15 06:21 -0800
    Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2022-02-03 12:50 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-16 07:44 -0800
    Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-17 15:45 -0800
      Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-18 10:03 -0800
        Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-18 15:18 -0800
          Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-19 11:54 +0100
            Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-19 09:17 -0800
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-19 14:03 -0800
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-20 13:02 +0100
                Re: What is the meaning of an expression? dave_thompson_2@comcast.net - 2022-01-30 22:51 -0500
            Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Christopher F Clark <christopher.f.clark@compiler-resources.com> - 2022-01-19 20:13 +0200
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2022-01-22 20:46 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2022-01-19 20:51 +0000

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