The CERES compiler generator at DIKU (1982-84)

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The CERES compiler generator at DIKU (1982-84)

• Neil Fest, Aug. 2007

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Languages and compilers

• Defn. A programming language L is a partial
  function L A (A A). We use the
  notation L-programs to mean Dom(L).
• Defn. Let L, M and N be programming languages.
  Then ?n ?N-programs? L M ? (N(n))?.

L p i M (N n p) i
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Compiler generation

• Assume a set LangDef ? A of so-called language
  definitions and a function which maps every d
  ?LangDef to Ld, the language defined by d.
• Compiler generation problem how do we transform
  d into a compiler
• comp ? ?

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Compiler generator

• Definition A T-program cocom is called a compiler
  generator if Dom(T(cocom)) LangDef and ? d ?
  LangDef, T cocom d ?

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Every compiler generator is a compiler

• Definition A programming language ? with
  ?-programs LangDef is said to be an implicit
  compiler defining language (i.c.d.l.) if ? d ?
  LangDef, d ? .
• Theorem Let cocom be a compiler generator. Then
  there exits at least one i.c.d.l. ? which
  satisfies cocom ?
  .
• Note that compiler generation is then just
  compilation

Proof hint ? T o (T cocom)
d
comp
cocom
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Defining ? in itself

• Let us say that an i.c.d.l. ? is consistent, if
  there exists a definition ? such that L? ?.
• If such a ? exists, then
• ? ?
• and one can generate at compiler generator by

cocom
?
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Small and beautiful

• ? 2400 bytes (itself generated)
• cocom 6166 bytes (generated)

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The connection to partial evaluation

• Let ? be defined by
• ?(d, p, x1,,xn) Ld p (x1,,xn)
• Lemma (JonesTofte 83/84?,unpublished)? ? ?
  ?-programs ? is a autoprojector for (?, T) iff
  ? implicit compiler defining language ?
• for (?,T) with
  ? ?

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The connection to partial evaluation

• Let ? be defined by
• ?(d, p, x1,,xn) Ld p (x1,,xn)
• Lemma (JonesTofte 83/84?,unpublished)? mix ?
  ?-programs mix is a partial evaluator for (?,
  T) iff ? metacompiling language ?
• for (?,T) with
  mix ?