Making Compiler Design Relevant for Students who will (Most Likely) Never Design a Compiler

Personally, I really liked this article because it talks about the compilation from an introduction and then it talks about more details of this subject. One of the things I liked the most was that they gave some examples about translation. It was interesting because I didn't know what "LaTeX" meant. Besides, these examples were very well represented through Contex-free grammars. During my exchange program in the United States, I had the opportunity to take a subject related to compilers. There I learned the phases of compilation and was able to work in a practical way on the first three. Therefore, at the time of reading the third point of this article, it was easy for me to understand, since I had the concept and definition of the phases. Something I think was missing in this article was to put a little more diagrams. I think it would have been very useful to put a "parse tree" because perhaps some students have not been able to see this type of diagrams, as they are made and very specifically as they are used within the compilation process.

However, I feel that for students who study systems, and who know about these concepts, the article is so good, especially because it gives examples of real life cases of how compilers work, and if the student has never taken compiler subject, I think that this type of reading is very necessary to have an introduction to this process and therefore would help make the material simpler for them. Having clear which is the objective and the reason to take that subject.

In conclusion, I consider that the article is very complete, nevertheless, I believe that it would lack to add a little more concept, a little more explanation on each phase and above all a little more illustration so that each phase is a little easier to understand. Compilers is a subject that should be explained in the clearest way, because anyone who studies systems, is a subject that should have very well understood.

References: 

Debray, Saumya (n/d) Making Compilers Design Relevant for Students who will (Most Likely) Never Design a Compiler. Department of Computer Science, University of Arizona.