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What can we learn from how compilers are designed?

tedinski.com · 2,433 words · saved by 1 readers

A case study on how compilers decouple components from each other using data.

Programming languages and compilers used to have a reputation for being one of the most complex topics in computer science. I think that reputation persists, but only because the topic is pretty much infinitely deep, especially where programming languages are concerned. The shallow waters here—the basics of how to design and implement a compiler—are pretty well solved. Compilers are still big, but we know how to break them down into easily understood pieces. I’d like to share some of those insights with you, because they have implications beyond writing compilers. There is one key idea that ma

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