CS 322 Languages and Compiler Design II - Spring 2012

Instructor:
Andrew Tolmach
120-23 FAB
503-725-5492
email: [email protected]
Office Hours: W 1-2 & by appt.
Course home page: http://www.cs.pdx.edu/˜apt/cs322

Description
CS321/322 studies, in parallel, the design and implementation of programming languages and the design and imple-
mentation of compilers. The course is centered around a substantial programming project: implementing a complete
compiler for a realistic language. CS322 concentrates on code generation and runtime organization; we will assume
the existence of a compiler front-end, and build a back-end for it. Completed compiler projects will produce machine
code that can be run directly on the target hardware. A detailed list of lecture topics may be found below.

Prerequisites
CS321 with a grade of C or better, preferably taken Winter 2012 with this instructor. CS321 and 322 form a con-
nected pair of courses; having completed CS321 in the distant past with another instructor will not necessarily have
prepared you for this version of CS322. In particular, this offering of CS322 will use Java (version 1.6+) as the project
implementation language.
Substantial experience with the C, C++, or Java programming language and a Unix-like operating system is essential.
Some experience with machine-language programming is extremely desirable.

Texts
The required textbook is
• Keith D. Cooper and Linda Torczon, Engineering a Compiler, Second edition (2011) is preferred; first edition (2004)
is acceptable.
Additional readings from other sources will be handed out in class from time to time.
• Various web materials describing the x86-64 architecture are listed on the course web page.
You’ll also definitely want access to a Java textbook. There are many good possibilities; here are two I suggest:
• Ken Arnold, James Gosling, and David Holmes, The Java Programming Language, 4th ed., Addison–Wesley, 2005.
(Earlier editions don’t cover all the features of Java 1.5/6.)
• Bruce Eckel, Thinking in Java, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, 2006. (The third edition of this book is available free on the
web at http://www.mindviewinc.com/Books/downloads.html, but again, it only describes Java 1.4.)
You will also need documentation for the particular version of Java that you choose to use, typically available from
http://download.oracle.com/javase.
Lecture notes will be available electronically in pdf format via the course home page, either before or shortly after the
lecture occurs. However, lectures may not follow the notes precisely; it is up to you to take additional notes during
class.

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Project
Over the course of CS322 you will complete the fab compiler you began in CS321. You will also build an interpreter
for the language. A working version of the front end from CS321 will be available for you to use in place of your own,
if you prefer (or if you took CS321 in some earlier term).
You are strongly encouraged – but not required – to work in teams of two on the project assignments. Team members
submit a single version of each project assignment, and receive the same grade.
Your compiler must be written in Java version 1.6 or 1.7. Substantial supporting code will be handed out by the
instructor.
Programs should be submitted by email; the address and other details on where and how to submit programs will be
provided with each assignment.

Exams
There will be one mid-term and a final exam. Both are closed-book. Exams will cover topics from lectures and
readings, emphasizing material that is not directly relevant to the programming project. Not all the material is covered
in the readings, so lecture attendance is important. Exams are scheduled in advance; unless prior arrangements are
made, a grade of zero will be recorded for missed exams.
Homework problems may be assigned from time to time as an aid to help you study for the exams; they will not be
collected or graded.

Grading
Approximately 1/2 on programming assignments and 1/4 on each of the two exams (including the final).
Programming assignment grades will be determined primarily by observing program behavior on test inputs. Com-
puter programming being what it is, this policy means that “small” errors in your code can have a large effect on
your grade. Sample test inputs and a correctly-behaving executable will be provided for you to compare your pro-
gram against. It is your responsibility to apply these tests and others of your own devising before submitting your
assignment. We will apply some non-public tests to your programs as well.

Computing Facilities
The project will be implemented in Java and x86-64 assembly language. For several of the assignments, you will
need access to an x86-64 processor running a GNU-based unix-like operating system, such as those found on the CS
department’s linux lab network. For the other assignments, you may develop your project solutions on any machine
and OS that supports Java. However, the final version of all assignments must work using the CS department’s linux
lab machines, using Java SDK version 1.6 and (where relevant) the GNU tool chain (assembler and loader).
You should have been given an account on the CS linux lab machines automatically by virtue of registering for this
course. If you don’t already have an account, go to FAB 82-01 to obtain one.
Files associated with assignments will be made available for download via the course web page.

Mailing List
Important information will be distributed throughout the term via a mailing list called [email protected].
To subscribe to the list, visit the course home page and follow the directions from there. Please mail questions to the
instructor directly (at apt) rather than to this list; the instructor will copy mail of general interest to the list. The list
is archived so you can consult old messages.

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Schedule
All dates, including assignment deadlines, are tentative (especially the lecture topics).
Date Asgn Reading Topics

Apr 3 introduction; synopsis of backend tasks

5 1 interpreters; review of attribute grammars
10 CT 6.2,6.3.1 environments; procedure activations and scope
12 functional programming
17 2 skim x86 docs x86-64 architecture
19 semantics: operational and axiomatic
24 1* semantics: denotational
26 CT 5.1–4 intermediate representations
May 1 CT 7.1–8 IR generation: expressions and statements
3 2* 3 IR generation: booleans, backpatching
8 Midterm Exam (in class)
10 CT 6.3.2,6.4.3,6.5,7.9 compiled runtime organization
15 CT 6.4.1–2 parameter passing mechanisms
17 CT 6.3.3–4 implementing object-oriented features
22 4 CT 6.6 garbage collection
24 3* CT 11.1–3 naive machine code generation
29 CT 8.1–4 optimization principles
31 CT 9.1–2,13.1–13.4.4 register allocation and flow analysis
Jun 5 CT 12.1–3 instruction scheduling; VLIW architectures
7 4* review and wrap-up
11 Final Exam (Monday starting at 10:15 am)
Readings column key: CT = Cooper and Torczon textbook, second edition. 2nd ed. 5.1–3 = 1st ed. 5.1–4; 2nd ed.
6.3.4 = 1st ed. 7.10; 2nd ed. 6.4.3 = 1st ed. 6.5; 2nd ed. 6.5 = 1st ed. 6.6; 2nd ed. 6.6 = 1st ed. 6.7; 2nd ed. 11.1–3 =
1st ed. 11.1–2; 2nd ed. 13.1–13.4.4 = 1st ed. 13.1–13.5.4.
Additional readings may be assigned from time to time. Assigned selections should be read before the associated date.

Assignments
Programming assignments, listed below, are distributed on the dates the assignment number appears in the schedule
above and are due when the starred number appears.
1 interpreter
2 x86-64 machine code exercise
3 preliminary code generation
4 final code generation

Rules
Programs are due by 1:30 p.m. on the specified due date, i.e., just before class. Late programs are not accepted except
in extraordinary circumstances, and then preferably by prior arrangement. The project deadlines are there to help you,
by forcing you to keep up during the term.
All programming assignments must represent the work of your explicitly identified two-person team. It is permissible
to discuss the assignment with other students, but you must develop the solutions yourselves. Do not, under any
circumstances, copy another person’s program and submit it as your own. Writing code for use by another or using
another’s code in any form (even with their permission) will be considered cheating. In particular, cheating will result
in an automatic zero grade for that pice of work, and the initiation of disciplinary action at the departmental and
University level.
If you are a student with a disability in need of academic accommodations, you should register with Disability Services
for Students and notify the instructor immediately to arrange for support services.