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From: tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c,net.wanted,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: C language interpreter
Message-ID: <49@cmu-cs-k.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 16-Nov-84 13:06:31 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-k.49
Posted: Fri Nov 16 13:06:31 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Nov-84 20:15:19 EST
References: <13@cybavax.UUCP>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 18

The difference between a compiler and an interpreter is really not that
great if the translator front end is well designed, such that it spits out a
completely machine-independent attributed parse tree.  A compiling back end
walks the tree and spits out code; an interpreting back end (hmm, maybe this
should go to net.motss -- ow!  Stop hitting me!) walks the tree and executes
code.  The two back ends will probably have to be different programs, but
there is a lot of overlap in the decisions on the two.

Unfortunately, PCC does not use this approach, since the front end emits an
APT which is interspersed with assembly code....
-- 
Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University Computation Center
ARPA:	Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K
uucp:	seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim (supposedly)

"Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are
but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains."
Liber AL, II:9.