Fifteen compilers in fifteen days
Jeremy D. Frens, Andrew Meneely · 2006
Traditional approaches to semester-long projects in compiler courses force students to implement the early stages of a compiler in depth; since many students fall behind, they have little opportunity to implement the back end. Consequently, students have a deep knowledge of early material and no knowledge of latter material. We propose an approach based on incremental development and test-driven development; this approach solves the emphasis problem, provides experience with useful tools, and allows for such a course to be taught in a three or four weeks.