Re:Engineering a Compiler, 2nd Edition is out
by st3fan on Thursday February 10, 2011 @10:28AM
(#2202184)
I'm in the same situation and I just ordered a copy of:
http://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpdsl/language-implementation...
I've just started reading this book, (older edition), after reading many recommendations that it would be a good place to start for beginners. I find it is an enjoyable read, but I don't really feel like I'm learning how to write a compiler. Much of the text seems devoted to the experience of wrestling with the restrictions of the technology of the day, (e.g. compile times were 12-24 hours because they had to wait for tapes generated by one half of the compiler at one location to be couriered to another location to be finished). I find this fascinating, but it's not really helping me learn to write a compiler. On top of that the solution and code is very close to the metal, which again I find to be fascinating but not incredibly educational.
I want to write a templating language in Haskell as an exercise to learn Haskell and get my feet wet with compilers. What's a good book for me?