Learning Compiler 2 Language Design

(Updated: )
学不死就往死里学
Compiler, Learning

Note

Programming Language Economics

Languages are adopted to fill a void

  • Enable a previously difficult/impossible application
  • Orthogonal to language design quality (almost)

Programmer training is the dominant cost

  • Languages with many users are replaced rarely
  • Popular languages become ossified
  • Buteasytostartinanewniche…

Why So Many Languages

Application domains have distinctive and conflicting needs

Language Evaluation Criteria

Characteristic Criteria 1 Criteria 2 Criteria 3
Readability Writeability Reliability
Data types * * *
Abstraction * *
Type checking *
Exception handling *

History

Abstraction:

  • Detached from concrete details
  • Modes of abstraction:
    • Via languages/compilers: Higher-level code, few machine dependencies
    • Via subroutines: Abstract interface to behavior
    • Via modules: Export interfaces; hide implementation
    • Via abstract data types: Bundle data with its operations

Types:

  • Originally, few types
    • FORTRAN: scalars, arrays
    • LISP: no static type distinctions
  • Realization: Types help
    • Allow the programmer to express abstraction
    • Allow the compiler to check against many frequent errors
    • Sometimes to the point that programs are guaranteed “safe”
  • More recently
    • Lots of interest in types
    • Experiments with various forms of parameterization
    • Best developed in functional programming

Reference

Slides: Language Design

Video: Compiler Stanford 2014