Instructor

Textbook:

• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (2nd ed.) by Aho, Lam, Sethi, Ullman (Errata)

Course prerequisites: CSC 314 and CSC 333 or equivalent. Helpful: CSC 253 (C and C++ for Java Programmers), CSC 224 (Applied Discrete Mathematics), CSC 234 (Computer Organization & Assembly Language), and MA 121 (Calculus).

Course purpose: This class prepares you to understand the basics of compilers. You will be introduced to lexing, parsing, program analysis, code generation and code optimizations. The material will cover programming language / automata theory and data-flow analysis as well as programming exercises on design and implementation of various compiler passes. If time permits, current research will be presented by students and discussed to give a better understanding of open issues in compilers.

Course objectives: By the end of the course, you should be able to do the following things:

• Program Analysis and Code Generation. To design and implement program analysis algorithms, such as scanners, parsers, semantic analyzers and code generators; to analyze control flow and data flow of programs; to critique different implementation choices and analysis approaches; to comprehend the limitations of static program analysis.
• Basic Code Optimizations. To understand the fundamental principles in code optimization for microprocessors; to design, implement and evaluate selected optimizations, such as peephole optimization, register allocation, instruction scheduling, code motion etc.; to comprehend the challenges in code optimizations; to incorporate extensions to optimizations into existing compiler back-ends.
• Research Topics. To reiterate hot topics in research on compilers; to judge the relevance and impact of novel approaches on the field; to present recent results in a comprehensive manner; to identify open problems; to prototype solutions to selected hot topics and open problems; to demonstrate the benefits of such implementations by methodological evaluations.