CLIP, a command line interpreter for a subset of C++
Harri Luoma, Essi Lahtinen, Hannu-Matti Järvinen · 2007
C++ is not the best choice for a first programming language, but if it is used, the learning circumstances need to be as easy as possible. We have developed a pedagogically designed interpreter for this purpose. Our hypothesis is that an interpreter is easier than a compiler for a novice programmer to use. We do not want students to use language properties they do not yet fully understand, so our approach is imperativefirst. In addition, when using an interpreter, learning concepts such as libraries can be postponed until later in the course. C++ is a complex language and most of its language features are not needed by a novice programmer. Therefore we have simplified the language to a subset of C++ that we call C--. For instance, classes have been omitted. We have also put a lot of effort into producing clear, informative error messages, something that is made possible by of the simpler programming language. This article introduces some other C/C++ interpreters, their evaluation, and the description of our interpreter called CLIP. So far CLIP has not been used by students, so its evaluation is left as future work. Keywords: education