Re: Why should students still study compilers?

Path	csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!news.misty.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED.news.iecc.com!nerds-end
From	Davide Grandi <davide.grandi@email.it>
Newsgroups	comp.compilers
Subject	Re: Why should students still study compilers?
Date	Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:31:18 +0200
Organization	Compilers Central
Sender	johnl%iecc.com
Approved	comp.compilers@iecc.com
Message-ID	<26-08-015@comp.compilers> (permalink)
References	<26-08-004@comp.compilers>
MIME-Version	1.0
Content-Type	text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Injection-Info	gal.iecc.com; posting-host="news.iecc.com:2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970"; logging-data="72283"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@iecc.com"
Keywords	courses
Posted-Date	31 Aug 2026 11:36:51 EDT
X-submission-address	compilers@iecc.com
X-moderator-address	compilers-request@iecc.com
X-FAQ-and-archives	http://compilers.iecc.com
In-Reply-To	<26-08-004@comp.compilers>
Xref	csiph.com comp.compilers:3752

Show key headers only | View raw

Hi,

instinctively: because if someone works on software the lifecycle of a
"program", compilers are simply fundamental.

experimentally: it worked for my studies and "career", guiding my choices on
software tools from writing to testing. And, in many cases, for
transforming.

philologically: the fifth book of "The art of computer programming" will be
about scanning and parsing.

culturally: if one knows at least the basics of grammars and syntax (not to
speak about the following phases) that one can face the usually-butcomplex
recurring problems, maybe choosing wisely the right tool

Bye, end of my 0,02 €

     Davide

On 24/08/2026 19:44, Roger L Costello wrote:
> 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?

--
ing. Davide Grandi
email    : davide.grandi@email.it
mobile   : +39 339 7468 778
linkedin : http://linkedin.com/in/davidegrandi

Back to comp.compilers | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

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

csiph-web