Abstract
The language APL presents a number of novel problems for a compiler writer: weak variable typing, run time changes in variable shape, and a host of primitive operations, among others. For this reason, many people have over time voiced the opinion that a compiler for the language was inherently impossible and that only an interpreter provided the necessary flexibility. One result of the APL compiler project described here is to cast a great deal of doubt on this position.
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© 1988 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Budd, T. (1988). Why A Compiler ?. In: An APL Compiler. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3806-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3806-5_1
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-96643-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3806-5
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