Compilers - Delphi to bytecode compiler

Author

Delphi to bytecode compiler

Jonathan Neve

2004-09-03, 4:03 pm

Hi all!

I'm wondering what would be involved in making a Delphi to bytecode
compiler... Does anyone have any experience writing compilers, that
could give me some advice?

The reason I think this would be useful, is that it would broaden the
scope of the Java platform, enabling many languages to be used (just
like .NET). There are already several langages (e.g. Java, Jython,
Groovy, and perhaps others), but it would be nice to have a language as
close as possible to Delphi syntax that could likewise compile into
bytecode. This would greatly facilitate converting projects from Delphi
to Java.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Joanthan Neve.

Martin Waldenburg

2004-09-08, 3:57 am

Jonathan Neve schrieb:
> I'm wondering what would be involved in making a Delphi to bytecode
> compiler...

there will be an upcoming book: Compiling with C# and Java
http://www.scifac.ru.ac.za/compilerbook/

Martin

VBDis

2004-09-08, 3:58 am

Jonathan Neve <jonathan@microtec.fr> schreibt:

>I'm wondering what would be involved in making a Delphi to bytecode
>compiler...

You have been asking this question in so many groups, and obviously
you are not pleased by the answers. Perhaps you should specify what
exactly you want to hear.

Making an compiler requires at least:
- understanding compilers (parsers...)
- understanding grammars (syntax, semantics)
- understanding programming models (data models, runtime system)
- understanding the target platform(s) (runtime environment)
- understanding the target machine (code generation)
and finally
- sit down and write...
or
- find some fool to write it for you ;-)

DoDi

Jonathan Neve

2004-09-13, 4:00 pm

VBDis wrote:
> You have been asking this question in so many groups, and obviously
> you are not pleased by the answers. Perhaps you should specify what
> exactly you want to hear.

Well, actually, I posted it everywhere at the same time, but the one
in this group (strangely) took much longer to come through. I did get
some interesting answers from the other groups though. I am basically
asking whether any such compiler already exists, and if not, how what
exactly would be involved in doing it.

> - sit down and write...

I would if I had both time and sufficient competance. I certainly
don't have the former, and as for the latter, I would only be able to
aquire it by spending a considerable amount of time learning more
about compiler technology. But that leads me back to point 1... :-)

> or - find some fool to write it for you ;-)

Gladly! But it wouldn't necessarily require that they be a fool...
Anyone in the Delphi or Java world would have much to gain from such a
project. It's not as though I were asking someone to do something that
would only be of any value to me personnaly...

Anyway, thanks for replying.

Regards,
Jonathan Neve.

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