Java 13: Compilers and Interpreters

Who is the course instructor for 'Introduction to Compilation'?

Dr. Xiaoyin Wang (Sean)

What are the course topics covered in 'Introduction to Compilation'?

Formal Languages and Automaton, Lexical Analysis, Parsing, Code Generation, Compiler Optimization, Functional Languages

What is the grading percentage for the 'Course participation' in 'Introduction to Compilation'?

10%

How many points is the 'Parser' phase worth in the course project of 'Introduction to Compilation'?

10 points Signup and view all the answers

What was the first real compiler mentioned in the lecture?

FORTRAN compilers of the late 1950s Signup and view all the answers

How many person-years were required to build the first FORTRAN compilers?

18 person-years Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in the format of target machine code between compilers?

Assembly or other source format vs Re-locatable binary vs Absolute binary Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of an interpreter?

To produce the results of executing a program Signup and view all the answers

Explain the difference in program execution between interpreters and compilers.

Interpreters execute program interleaved with analysis, while compilers analyze the entire program before translating it. Signup and view all the answers

Why is a linkage step required for re-locatable binary in compilers?

Because it uses relative address which needs to be linked to the correct memory locations. Signup and view all the answers

What is the tradeoff involved in the compilation process?

Compile time overhead vs execution performance Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in how compilers and interpreters handle the source program?

Compilers translate the program to another language, while interpreters directly execute it. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of a compiler?

Transforming human-oriented programming languages into computer-oriented machine languages Signup and view all the answers

Name three types of code that compilers may generate.

Pure Machine Code, Augmented Machine Code, Virtual Machine Code Signup and view all the answers

What is Pure Machine Code?

Machine instruction set without assuming the existence of any operating system or library Signup and view all the answers

What is Augmented Machine Code?

Code with OS routines and runtime support routines Signup and view all the answers

What is Virtual Machine Code?

Virtual instructions that can be run on any architecture with a virtual machine interpreter or a just-in-time compiler Signup and view all the answers

How does a compiler help programmers?

By ignoring machine-dependent details for the programmer Signup and view all the answers

What are some examples of interpreters mentioned in the text?

PERL, Python, awk, sed, sh, csh, postscript printer, Java VM Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler in Java?

To compile some or all byte codes to native code, particularly for execution hot spots. Signup and view all the answers

What is the structure of a compiler according to the text?

Front end (analysis) and Back end (synthesis). Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Front End in a compiler?

To read the source program and understand its structure and meaning. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Static Semantic Analysis in a compiler?

To perform type checking, check for language requirements like 'declare before use', and preliminary resource allocation. Signup and view all the answers

What kind of code does Intermediate Code Generation typically produce?

Three address code where instructions have one operator and up to three arguments. Signup and view all the answers

What are the responsibilities of the Back End of a compiler?

Translate IR into target machine code, produce fast, compact code, and use machine resources effectively. Signup and view all the answers

What does the intermediate code optimization phase focus on?

Code improvements to produce better quality code. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Assembly code in the compilation process?

To translate high-level language code into low-level machine code instructions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of the Compilation process?

To translate source code into an executable image efficiently. Signup and view all the answers