The Experimental Compiling System

Abstract

The Experimental Compiling System (ECS) described here represents a new compiler construction methodology that uses a compiler base which can be augmented to create a compiler for any one of a wide class of source languages. The resulting compiler permits the user to select code quality ranging from highly optimized to interpretive. The investigation is concentrating on eo.vy expression and efficient implementation of language semantics; syntax analysis is ignored.The other unique feature of the schema is that all operations are references to procedures which implicitly define Copyright 1980 by International Business Machines Corporation. Copying is permitted without payment of royalty provided that (1) each reproductioo is done without alteration and (2) the Journal reference and IBM copyright notice are included on the first page. The title and abstract may be used without further permission in computer-based and other information-service systems. Permission to republish other excerpts should be obtained from the Editor. 695 IBM

Experience with Access Functions in an Experimental Compiler

“…Other groups subsequently made this sort of refinement to the methodology for their own purposes [11,12].…”

The History of Language Processor Technology in IBM

“…Elegant, though not necessarily pragmatic or completely general, algorithms [78][79][80] now exist. A research project, the Experimental Compiling System [81][82][83], is investigating the use of interprocedural analysis [83,84] and optimization in a compiler building system. The basic ideas are to use procedures to express the semantics of the language being compiled, to deduce the characteristics of the language by analysis, to use procedure integration (in-Une expansion) to do code generation, and to optimize in order to customize and obtain good code.…”

Interprocedural constant propagation

“…Ball showed a simple method for predicting the improvement possible with inline substitution, based on knowledge of the constant-valued parameters at a call site [4]. Allen, et al showed the potential for interprocedural improvement in their influential Experimental Compiling System [2]. Second, a growing body of evidence suggested that many call sites pass constant values as actual parameters, particularly to library routines [2,13].…”