18 Jun
2026
18 Jun
'26
12:38 a.m.
You missed the point. The compiler backend is emitting assembly code, so
you better have a very good understanding of the underlying hardware and
the assembly language for the machine to successfully write a compiler
backend for the architecture in question.
Tom
On Thu, 18 June 2026, 2:15 am Mike Katz via cctalk, <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
wrote:
I'm sorry but I beg to differ with your, it is
entirely possible to
write the code generator for a compiler in a high level language. Most
C-compilers are written that way.
The initial after reset code may need to be written in assembler to
properly setup some registers prior to the run time system for the high
level language (stack, interrupt masks, cache initialization, etc.).
On 6/17/2026 12:55 PM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote:
> On Jun 17, 2026, at 11:55 AM, Mark Green via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
>
> I recently reviewed a college program that had a COBOL course. It’s not
quite dead in academia.
Speaking of academia: clearly any
"academic" who claims Assembler is
dead is unqualified for the job. It may be true that not very much
application code is written in assembler. But it should be obvious that
competence in assembler is absolutely necessary in order to build a
compiler -- in particular, a compiler back-end.
paul