Modern Compiler Design

Term Paper # 116067

Computer and Technology

An overview of the design and uses of compiler programs.

2,530 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that compiler programs translate one computer language into another. The paper outlines the history of compilers, identifies their various functions and lists the types available. The paper overviews the design of compilers and also discusses the trend towards special function compilers that are capable of generating multimedia presentations in an automatic format.

Outline:
Introduction
Compiler History
The Functions of a Compiler
Compiler Types
Compiler Design / An Overview
Compiler Design / Front End Compilation
Compiler Design / Middle End Compilation
Compiler Design / Back End Compilation
Special Cases - Multimedia Parsers
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Compilers are relatively new to the world of computers. Since early computers had little memory, programs were far shorter than those seen today. Rather than write the program in a language, which needed to be translated by the computer, the early program would enter the program directly into the computer in a form, which the computer recognized without translation, such as binary code.
"It was as a result of programmers becoming tired of entering machine-readable code into a computer, which spawned the development of the first compilers. These rather primitive programs translated the programming language through mnemonics, which were executable by the machines."

Sample of Sources Used:

Aaby, Anthony A. "Compiler Construction Using Flex and Bison." Unpublished Paper, Walla Walla College, 2005.
Aho, Alfred V., Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman. Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1986.
Appel, Andrew W. Modern Compiler Implementation in ML. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Fritts, Jason. "Architecture and Compiler Design Issues in Programmable Media Processors." Ph.D. Diss., Princeton University, 2000.
Grune, Dick, Henri Bal, Ceriel Jacobs, and Koen Langendoen. Modern Compiler Design. Amsterdam: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2000.