Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!weyrich!orville
From: orville@weyrich.UUCP (Orville R. Weyrich)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: F90 compiler from NAG
Message-ID: <1991Jun26.171555.285@weyrich.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jun 91 17:15:55 GMT
References: <1991Jun24.211203.16291@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Reply-To: orville@weyrich.UUCP (Orville R. Weyrich)
Organization: Weyrich Computer Consulting
Lines: 42

In article <1991Jun24.211203.16291@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> shenkin@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Peter S. Shenkin) writes:
>In article <1991Jun24.163115.13507@convex.com> psmith@convex.com (Presley Smith) writes:
>>Seens to me to be a translator. 
>>
>>  - Since a "compiler" is a "computer program used to compile"
>>
>>  - AND the definition of "compile" is to "translate a higher order
>>    language program into it's relocatable or absolute machine code 
>>    equivalent"... 
>>
>> Since the NAG product produces C code as output, NOT relocatable or
>> absolute machine code or equivalent... 
>>
>...
>>
>>If it produces C code as output, that would fit with the definition
>>of a translator...
>>
>>If the NAG product is a compiler, then we need to change the standard
>>definitions.   In my mind, it's a translator.  
>
>By your criterion, any "compiler" which first produces some intermediate
>code -- perhaps shared by several language-specific  front ends -- would be 
>not a compiler but a translator.

I guess an important question becomes the following:

	DOES NAG PROVIDE THE 'C --> machine code' PASS? 

If it does, then their SYSTEM is a COMPILER.

If it doesn't, then they are providing only a TRANSLATOR pass of a compilation
system which the user must put together.

(I think that I know the answer -- its a TRANSLATOR! :-)

--------------------------------------           ******************************
Orville R. Weyrich, Jr., Ph.D.                   Certified Systems Professional
Internet: orville%weyrich@uunet.uu.net             Weyrich Computer Consulting
Voice:    (602) 391-0821                         POB 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
Fax:      (602) 391-0023                              (Yes! I'm available)
--------------------------------------           ******************************