Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!husc6!necntc!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!decvax!ima!johnl From: lm@cottage.WISC.EDU (Larry McVoy) Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: Request comments on text. Message-ID: <607@ima.ISC.COM> Date: Sat, 4-Jul-87 13:00:04 EDT Article-I.D.: ima.607 Posted: Sat Jul 4 13:00:04 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jul-87 00:50:49 EDT References: <252@hubcap.UUCP> Sender: johnl@ima.ISC.COM Reply-To: harvard!seismo!uwvax!cottage.WISC.EDU!lm (Larry McVoy) Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept Lines: 20 Approved: compilers@ima.UUCP Original-sender: harvard!seismo!uwvax!news >[I'm not familiar with Trembley and Sorenson, but is there any particular >reason not to use the dragon book? -John] Yeah, there is. It's a pain to read. And it doesn't really address the problems very well. While writing this article I looked through the book again to see if I was inserting foot in mouth. Nope. Look up symbol tables for a moment. Most of the information there is about data structures i.e., hash tables and string storage. Why is this here? It's a waste of the reader's time - anyone reading this book will know about linked lists. And where is the info about the purpose of the symbol table? Well, they say stuff about names and reference counts and leave you to find out how it really works later. What about separate compilation? Debugger support? External uses of the symbol table (name list)? Etc, etc? Get my point? The book is lots of theory, lots of needless information, and not enough practical necessary information. Fisher's book is better. Logothetis's book will be better (if he ever gets it done). Larry McVoy lm@cottage.wisc.edu or uwvax!mcvoy [Stay tuned for lots more comments on this topic. -John] -- Send compilers articles to ima!compilers or, in a pinch, to Levine@YALE.ARPA Plausible paths are { ihnp4 | decvax | cbosgd | harvard | yale | cca}!ima Please send responses to the originator of the message -- I cannot forward mail accidentally sent back to compilers. Meta-mail to ima!compilers-request