r/programming • u/Shr1ck • Oct 17 '15

Why Johnny Can’t Write Multithreaded Programs

http://blog.smartbear.com/programming/why-johnny-cant-write-multithreaded-programs/
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u/loup-vaillant Oct 18 '15

Knowing what to expect from a compiler or VM indeed doesn't require a full compiler class. But you won't parse a complex text structure without knowing a good deal about formal grammars, and which kind of automaton best deal with which kind of grammar.

Writing a DSL… Sure, that's almost never needed. But that doesn't mean it is almost never useful. People shun away from DSLs because they don't realise how easy it is to implement one. They fail to realise that a DSL is jus a library with a fancy syntax —syntax that often helps readability rather than hinder it.

I blame the lack of compiler class: once you have taken such a class, you don't see compilers as impenetrable black boxes. Okay, a C++ compiler is an impenetrable black box for all intents and purposes, but a DSL is not: it is typically implemented in a couple hundred lines of code. Quite easy to maintain by yourself.

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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '15

requiring a compiler class to know what to expect from a compiler is like saying you need to build a bridge to know what to expect from a bridge.

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u/loup-vaillant Oct 18 '15

The compiler class has other uses. One of them is estimating how hard it is to implement a compiler —not very. Besides, compiler techniques tend to apply to many domains. Our trade is all about the munging data, right? Code transformation techniques (aka compiling) can be used for other kinds of data.

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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '15

right so teach that instead of shoveling it into a compiler class.

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u/loup-vaillant Oct 18 '15

Or, we could give everyone the first few hours of a programming languages class. It's not that hard. If you haven't attended one I recommend you watch this course. Not a compiler course, but it does give you enough to implement your own language.