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Axiomatic bootstrapping: a guide for compiler hackers

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Andrew W. Appel Author:

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ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS), Volume 16, Issue 6

Pages 1699 - 1718

https://doi.org/10.1145/197320.197336

Published: 01 November 1994 Publication History

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Abstract

If a compiler for language L is implemented in L, then it should be able to compile itself. But for systems used interactively commands are compiled and immediately executed, and these commands may invoke the compiler; so there is the question of how ever to cross-compile for another architecture. Also, where the compiler writes binary files of static type information that must then be read in by the bootstrapped interactive compiler, how can one ever change the format of digested type information in binary files?

Here I attempt an axiomatic clarification of the bootstrapping technique, using Standard ML of New Jersey as a case study. This should be useful to implementors of any self-applicable interactive compiler with nontrivial object-file and runtime-system compatibility problems.

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Konat GErdweg SVisser E(2016)Bootstrapping domain-specific meta-languages in language workbenchesACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/3093335.299324252:3(47-58)Online publication date: 20-Oct-2016
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cover image ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems Volume 16, Issue 6

Nov. 1994

243 pages

ISSN:0164-0925

EISSN:1558-4593

DOI:10.1145/197320

Editor:
Andrew W. Appel
Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 November 1994

Published in TOPLAS Volume 16, Issue 6

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Konat GErdweg SVisser E(2016)Bootstrapping domain-specific meta-languages in language workbenchesACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/3093335.299324252:3(47-58)Online publication date: 20-Oct-2016
Konat GErdweg SVisser EFischer BSchaefer I(2016)Bootstrapping domain-specific meta-languages in language workbenchesProceedings of the 2016 ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Generative Programming: Concepts and Experiences10.1145/2993236.2993242(47-58)Online publication date: 20-Oct-2016
Fischer BSchaefer I(2016)Proceedings of the 2016 ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Generative Programming: Concepts and ExperiencesundefinedOnline publication date: 20-Oct-2016
van der Storm TCook WLoh A(2014)The design and implementation of Object GrammarsScience of Computer Programming10.1016/j.scico.2014.02.02396:P4(460-487)Online publication date: 15-Dec-2014
Abate PSchauer JKruchten PGiannakopoulou DTivoli M(2013)Bootstrapping software distributionsProceedings of the 16th International ACM Sigsoft symposium on Component-based software engineering10.1145/2465449.2465461(131-142)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2013
Strub PSwamy NFournet CChen JField JHicks M(2012)Self-certificationProceedings of the 39th annual ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT symposium on Principles of programming languages10.1145/2103656.2103723(571-584)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2012
Strub PSwamy NFournet CChen J(2012)Self-certificationACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/2103621.210372347:1(571-584)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2012
Batory DSmaragdakis YSiek J(2008)Using modern mathematics as an FOSD modeling languageProceedings of the 7th international conference on Generative programming and component engineering10.1145/1449913.1449921(35-44)Online publication date: 19-Oct-2008
Bergstra J(2004)Machine Function Based Control Code AlgebrasFormal Methods for Components and Objects10.1007/978-3-540-30101-1_2(17-41)Online publication date: 2004
Appel AMacQueen D(1994)Separate compilation for Standard MLACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/773473.17824529:6(13-23)Online publication date: 1-Jun-1994
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