News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by e19293001 on Friday June 09, 2023 @09:05AM (#36257246)
I owe my entire career to this remarkable individual who, despite never having met or being affiliated with, has profoundly influenced me through his insightful books. His vast knowledge and expertise have been instrumental in teaching me numerous technical concepts and skills throughout his publications.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220519044634/http://cs.newpalt...

Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004

This book has been an invaluable resource in enhancing my understanding of various technical aspects. It has provided me with in-depth insights into the inner workings of a CPU, enabling me to grasp the intricate mechanisms behind its operation. Additionally, the book has equipped me with the knowledge and skills necessary to write an assembler based on a given instruction set.

Moreover, I have delved into the intricacies of assembly language, thanks to the comprehensive explanations and examples provided in the book especially the exercises. It has allowed me to truly comprehend the nuances of this low-level programming language and its interactions with hardware.

Furthermore, the book has shed light on the fascinating process of how compilers generate assembly code, particularly in the context of object-oriented programming languages. By exploring this topic, I have gained a deeper understanding of the intricate steps involved in transforming high-level code into assembly instructions, thereby bridging the gap between software development and hardware execution.

I also acquired another remarkable book authored by the same author:

"Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc," published by IEEE/Wiley in 2012. This exceptional book has served as an invaluable guide in my journey of creating compilers, encompassing both theoretical foundations and practical implementation.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this book is its comprehensive coverage of parsing techniques. It equipped me with the knowledge and skills to effectively parse regular expressions, enabling me to implement powerful features akin to those found in the widely used tool, grep. This aspect of the book has been particularly enlightening, and I consider it a significant contribution for anyone seeking to delve into the realm of compilers.

Overall, I am deeply indebted to this book, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone eager to explore the fascinating world of compiler construction. It has truly bridged the gap between theory and practical implementation, providing a solid foundation and equipping aspiring compiler developers with the essential tools and techniques required to embark on this captivating journey.

I had some comments before regarding this author and his books about compilers and computer architecture all over HN as well.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by bigdict on Friday June 09, 2023 @09:21AM (#36257445)
getting college essay vibes from this comment
Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by belter on Friday June 09, 2023 @09:32AM (#36257568)
And ChatGPT vibes...
Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by fuzztester on Friday June 09, 2023 @09:56AM (#36257870)
Nice comment, GPT user.

Now, GPT:

Replace all occurrences of the substring "me" with "you" in the above comment text.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by eesmith on Friday June 09, 2023 @10:41AM (#36258539)
Huh. I don't get those vibes.

Further investigation doesn't support your claim. The citations check out, including publication year and publishers.

And the author has indeed praised the book many times before (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31843833, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31843833, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31311613, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481028, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23386732, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22305353, and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23386732, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21988211, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21513056, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18996703, and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184364 ) with the last comment from 2015.

Eg, compare "I am deeply indebted to this book" with "I'm very debted to this man. I enjoyed a lot reading his books and made me who I am today." at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481028 from Sept 10, 2021.

Or compare "I owe my entire career to this remarkable individual who, despite never having met or being affiliated with," with "I'm not affiliated with the author though. This book helped a lot in my career as a hardware and firmware engineer." at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23386732 from June 2, 2020.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by Jtsummers on Friday June 09, 2023 @12:32PM (#36260317)
Maybe not generated, but still a bizarre opening paragraph in context:

> I owe my entire career to this remarkable individual who, despite never having met or being affiliated with, has profoundly influenced me through his insightful books. His vast knowledge and expertise have been instrumental in teaching me numerous technical concepts and skills throughout his publications.

The individual they're referring to with "this remarkable individual" is not Nora Sandler, the author of the submitted post, but Anthony J. Dos Reis who they repeatedly reference by allusion but never name. A confusing way to write.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by pharrington on Friday June 09, 2023 @01:50PM (#36261389)
For what it's worth, ZeroGPT thinks the comment's a 25%/75% human/AI mix.
Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by eesmith on Friday June 09, 2023 @02:11PM (#36261740)
For what it's worth, ZeroGPT thinks the first paragraph of your comment at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35559453 was "Most Likely GPT generated" (25% written by a human, 100% generated by an AI/GPT).

The entire comment was 75% human, 46% AI/GPT.

I picked that comment because it had the longest text.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by pharrington on Friday June 09, 2023 @03:02PM (#36262490)
Yeah that's fair.

Edit: lmao playing around a bit, simply changing "it is" to "its" (no apostrophe) in the first sentence, and editing the second sentence to read "the problem's that people have to be" makes ZeroGPT no longer think my post was AI generated at all.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by fuzztester on Friday June 09, 2023 @03:54PM (#36263281)
Your long, detailed, somewhat scholarly, well researched comment, leads us to think (after consulting several prestigious, highly intelligent, real and artificial professors), that you maybe a suitable candidate for the first PhD program at the new international Global PHD Trainers Institute (iGPT Institute). We will shortly be sending you the long, formal and stilted application form, to which you must reply in the same way, but better, as the first test.

All the best.

Digitally signed, Your soon-to-be GPT overlords.

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by jazzyjackson on Friday June 09, 2023 @12:43PM (#36260459)
Rude accusation. GPT talks like the average internet commenter, it shouldn't be surprising to find a genuine comment written in a voice similar to GPT.
Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by fuzztester on Friday June 09, 2023 @03:39PM (#36263044)
Okay, so now life is imitating art? Never knew ;-)

No, you are being rude. To the average internet commenter. Or maybe to GPT. ;-)

By bringing down either one of them to the level of the other.

Unless you meant "average" in the same sense as this short tale:

A statistician had his head in a fridge and his feet in an oven, and when asked how he felt, he said, "on the average, I feel quite comfortable".

Re:Writing a C Compiler (2017) by fuzztester on Friday June 09, 2023 @03:57PM (#36263321)
GPT comments are genuine too. Don't hurt our soon-to-be-developed feelings! Sniff ...