Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!gatech!mcnc!decvax!ima!compilers-sender From: rrh@skagit.cs.washington.edu (Robert R. Henry) Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Origin of term 'Big Inhale' Message-ID: <3877@ima.ima.isc.com> Date: 10 May 89 00:29:42 GMT Sender: compilers-sender@ima.ima.isc.com Reply-To: Robert R. Henry Lines: 23 Approved: compilers@ima.UUCP I am interested in finding the origin of the term "Big Inhale". A "Big Inhale" is what a compiler does when it encounters an import(modula2) or use(Ada) clause, and has to get the definitions exported by the named module and extract and retain those that are going to be used. Thus the first thing that a compiler typically does is to inhale all of the definitions, perhaps to never use them again. I first saw the term in a longish technical report from some University located in Norway. The TR described the problem and describe some ways to alleviate the problem. Alas, I can no longer find the citation, and have not seem this term used elsewhere. Thanks, Robert Henry University of Washington [It's new to me. Perhaps it's a translation from the original Norwegian. -John] [From Robert R. Henry ] -- Send compilers articles to compilers@ima.isc.com or, perhaps, Levine@YALE.EDU Plausible paths are { decvax | harvard | yale | bbn}!ima Please send responses to the originator of the message -- I cannot forward mail accidentally sent back to compilers. Meta-mail to ima!compilers-request