Are compiler developers light-years ahead of other software development?

Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org>
Sun, 16 Jan 2022 14:36:30 +0000

          From comp.compilers
Related articles
| List of all articles for this month |
From: Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2022 14:36:30 +0000
Organization: Compilers Central
Injection-Info: gal.iecc.com; posting-host="news.iecc.com:2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970"; logging-data="69435"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@iecc.com"
Keywords: theory, question
Posted-Date: 16 Jan 2022 12:26:36 EST
Thread-Topic: Are compiler developers light-years ahead of other software development?
Thread-Index: AdgK5CKVZD0bjFfWRCSHC2fePYpu0g==
Accept-Language: en-US
Content-Language: en-US
authentication-results: dkim=none (message not signed) header.d=none;dmarc=none action=none header.from=mitre.org;
X-OriginatorOrg: mitre.org

Hello Compiler Experts!


I am learning the algorithms and theory underlying parsing. Wow! I am
discovering that parsing has such a rich theoretical foundation: grammars, LL,
LR, first() function, following() function, parsing tables, etc.


In all the software that I have written, I am lucky if I can use one or two
algorithms that have a theoretical foundation. Mostly, the software is one-off
code.


The mathematician Alfred North Whitehead has this wonderful phrase [1]:


... the slow accumulation of clear and relevant ideas.


The parsing community has done that - the community has slowly accumulated
clear and relevant ideas.


I can't think of any other branch of computer science where there is such a
rich foundation upon which to develop software.


Are compiler developers light-years ahead of other software development?


/Roger


[1] An Introduction to Mathematics by Alfred North Whitehead, p. 19.

Post a followup to this message

Return to the comp.compilers page.
Search the comp.compilers archives again.