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| From | Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org> |
| Newsgroups | comp.compilers |
| Subject | Why should students still study compilers? |
| Date | Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:44:50 +0000 |
| Organization | Compilers Central |
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| Keywords | question |
| Posted-Date | 24 Aug 2026 14:07:15 EDT |
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For many years, I've regarded compiler construction as one of the most scientific, disciplined, and algorithmic areas of computer science. There is something wonderfully satisfying about a field in which so much can be derived systematically rather than done by the seat of the pants. The difficulty, at least in my experience, is that there simply aren't that many jobs writing compilers. Occasionally I get a small job writing a dedicated parser, but for the most part I have little opportunity to use compiler algorithms professionally. That makes it hard to justify spending my limited time keeping those skills fresh. And now I wonder whether LLMs will reduce the demand for some kinds of compiler and parser expertise even further. So I'm curious what people on this list think: **Why should a computer science student today take a compiler course?** Do students take compiler courses because the techniques they learn are likely to be useful in their careers, despite the relatively small number of jobs involving compiler development? Or is the real value of a compiler course that it teaches broader ways of thinking about languages, grammars, representations, transformations, optimization, and software systems? And has the arrival of LLMs changed your answer at all?
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Why should students still study compilers? Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org> - 2026-08-24 17:44 +0000 Re: Why should students still study compilers? ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de - 2026-08-26 16:37 +0000 Re: Why should students still study compilers? Davide Grandi <davide.grandi@email.it> - 2026-08-29 09:31 +0200
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