A language combining a flexible syntax with classes
David W. Sandberg · 1982
Many people find programming difficult. Lithe, a programming language that combines syntax-directed translation and classes, was designed and implemented in an attempt to make programming easier. The outstanding features of Lithe are its programmer extensible syntax and its notion of abstraction. The extensible syntax allows more readable programs to be written than is otherwise possible. Abstraction focuses the attention of the programmer by suppressing irrelevant details. The Lithe implementation uses grammars differently than do conventional compilers. Most compilers use a single grammar to describe all legal programs. Lithe creates a grammar specifically tailored to the program being compiled. This method has produced a small, well organized compiler. Lithe is a simple language with a simple implementation yet it provides the same ease of expression as the best languages. Some problems involving syntax-directed translation are easily solved in Lithe.