On Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 7:09 PM, Daniel C. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Someone said that I'm writing a compiler and therefore need to learn > all about context-free grammars, LALR(1) parsers, deterministic finite > state automata, and all sorts of other sexy-sounding but ultimately > painful stuff. Are they right or did they just want to give me > headaches?
It might not be a bad idea to get some background in parsing theory (grammars, LL1 parsers). Deterministic Finite State Automata (DFAs) are a simplistic method of determining computability. Doing a little research on computability theory would be beneficial but possibly not crucial. The main usefulness in the theory behind compilers is in determining what your program can actually do, and as a starting point to keep something very complicated (a compiler) somewhat manageable. So it couldn't hurt to do a little reading. Just my 2 cents. -- Alex Esplin /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
