Name: Modern compiler implementation in ML
ISBN: 9780521607643

Modern compiler implementation in ML

This new, expanded textbook describes all phases of a modern compiler: lexical analysis, parsing, abstract syntax, semantic actions, intermediate representations, instruction selection via tree matching, dataflow analysis, graph-coloring register allocation, and runtime systems. It includes good coverage of current techniques in code generation and register allocation, as well as functional and object-oriented languages, that are missing from most books. In addition, more advanced chapters are now included so that it can be used as the basis for two-semester or graduate course. The most accepted and successful techniques are described in a concise way, rather than as an exhaustive catalog of every possible variant. Detailed descriptions of the interfaces between modules of a compiler are illustrated with actual C header files. The first part of the book, Fundamentals of Compilation, is suitable for a one-semester first course in compiler design. The second part, Advanced Topics, which includes the advanced chapters, covers the compilation of object-oriented and functional languages, garbage collection, loop optimizations, SSA form, loop scheduling, and optimization for cache-memory hierarchies.

What Hacker News says

rschoJul 2024

Modern compiler implementation in ML by A. W. Appel

There are (inferior) versions of the same in C and Java. I'd use them together with the ML version.

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dashtiarianJan 2024

For a start you should, you should buy the latest version of the Dragon Book and then put it on the shelf.

Then you should get a copy of Modern Compiler implementation in ML. I love the Crafting Interpreters book, and also the Writing A Compiler In Go book; but they will not satisfy any person with undergraduate CS education.

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the_bennoAug 2021

F# is an ML-family language, and ML stands for meta-language -- it was designed for language tools and compilers! Andrew Appel's Modern Compiler Implementation in ML is a great resource for code examples that aren't exactly F#, but will look damn close. The book has also been published with C and Java, if you want side-by-side comparisons

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TurboHaskalApr 2020

They're really good books specially if you want to program in a "modern" language but I personally couldn't stomach the code style nor the TDD focus. I'm probably being really unfair to the author, so please don't let this be a deterrent!

I personally enjoyed `Modern Compiler Implementation in ML` and Crenshaw's tutorial [0] There's also a Forth translation [1] if you're into that :)

[0] https://compilers.iecc.com/crenshaw/

[1] http://home.vianetworks.nl/users/mhx/crenshaw/tiny.html

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tomnjApr 2020

Haskell and compilers at the same time! Following Appel’s awesome Modern Compiler Implementation in ML: https://github.com/tdp2110/HaskellTiger

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guiraldelliOct 2019

I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.

If I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.

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But if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.

The book order does not represent rank of importance.

* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.

    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.

    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)

* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.

    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!

* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.

    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to

* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.

* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.

* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.

* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.

I would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.

Good luck!

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[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf

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