Description:

Compiler Construction Capstone is an extended version of the CSC 420 course, offered by the CSC Department for a number of years. This extended version offered now allows us a unique opportunity to construct a fully functional compiler, ideally targeting the Web.

Compiler construction is the most core Computer Science; without Compilers, no Computer Science would exist. Computers would remain useful even if all Word Processors, or all Browsers, or all Graphics Applications suddenly ceased to exist -- they can be written anew; but without Compilers, no programming would longer be possible.

The goal of this course is to constuct a fully functional compiler; along the way we will discuss programming languages, learn the applicable theory and the programming techniques, and by the end of the course, should end up with a working language implementation, suitable for programming. Longer time available in Capstone will allow us to target Web application (output of our work will run on Web), as well as consider supplementing the base language (Pascal) with useful extensions.

Upon the successful completion of this project a student should be able to:

 

• understand the underlying theory of programming language design ;
• understand fundamental parsing techniques and code generation ;
• understand the working of secondary systems essential for programming language implementation (linker, debuggers, RTL..) ;
• be able to design and implement a programming language ;

Logistics:

It is anticipated that the first half of the course will be more theory and discussion, but it still will include discussion of implementation and coding of "prototype" compiler, targeting the local computer; the second (Fall 2008) will concentrate on the actual "final" implementation, targeting the Web. The project will be group-based.

The course material will be entirely self-contained.

Text:

The primary source will be lecture notes: this should not be a surprise since we are trying to do something new. The list of supplementary literature (Additional Book Resources) will be given in class.