Xref: utzoo comp.arch:6470 comp.lang.c:13108 comp.lang.misc:1956 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!ames!lamaster From: lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Hugh LaMaster) Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.misc Subject: Re: Machine-independent intermediate languages Message-ID: <16092@ames.arc.nasa.gov> Date: 6 Oct 88 14:32:54 GMT References: <853@goofy.megatest.uucp> Reply-To: lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster) Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Lines: 25 In article eric@snark.UUCP (Eric S. Raymond) writes: >I consider this a detail. Front-ending is *not* the hard part in HLL >compilation; front ends are easy to write, and easy to port. Code generation >is the hard part. Eliminating the front end, by itself, doesn't pare away >enough complexity and cost to justify the MIIL concept. > > > > Well, certain steps like vectorization and certain other optimizations logically fall before production of the MIIL and are language dependent. These parts of the front end must be hard, judging by the number of bugs associated with production compilers in this area. So, in some cases there is a significant amount of work to writing a language dependent front end. Therefore, there is a significant potential benefit to using a MIIL if you can make it work. -- Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9, UUCP ames!lamaster NASA Ames Research Center ARPA lamaster@ames.arc.nasa.gov Moffett Field, CA 94035 Phone: (415)694-6117