Re: Google Summer of Code

[Charles Turner <chturne at gmail dot com>]

Hi Andrea,

On 05/03/14 08:42, Andrea Bernardini wrote:
> I have only basic knowledge in formal languages, compilers and low
> level architectures, and no experience in compilers development, so I
> need to reason about the feasibility of the project.

Depending on which project you select, compiler knowledge required 
varies. But again, the more you know, the better! The project you 
enquired about could have an element of code generation to it, and a 
basic understanding of computer architecture won't hurt in understanding 
how to use it. You can look at the methods in gnu.bytecode.CodeAttr to 
get a feel for the level abstraction we're working with in Kawa. You 
certainly don't need to know any micro-architectural details, if that's 
what you meant by "low-level", the JVM takes care of that. :-)

As far as formal languages go, perhaps the only things I can imagine you 
coming across are regular (sic) expressions and grammars, but again, 
nothing spectacular.

> Optimize switches (case)
> Implement SwitchExp as a new class extending Expression, and compile it
> using the existing gnu.bytecode.SwitchState. Use it to optimize
> Schemeâs case form. This might be better done without a new Expression,
> but instead using a special Procedure with custom âvalidationâ and
> code-generation.
>
> Could it be a reasonable project for a student with few experience in
> compilers?

I think a motivated student could accomplish this task, even without 
experience with compliers, as long as they're interested in the topic.

> Is there an other project that could be a good starting point?

It's hard to suggest projects since we're not sure what your personal 
strengths and interests are. To be honest, all the projects would be 
good starting points for the motivated student.

My advice is to pick something that interests you, and dig around the 
code base trying to get a better understanding of what that particular 
project might involve. Don't worry if you get lost, feel free to ask 
questions, someone here will be able to help you!

Kind regards,
Charles.