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Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

cs.cornell.edu

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Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#91

Post by zakember »

ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

Any resources you can suggest to point interested engineers in the right direction?

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#92

Post by throwaway_pdp09 »

ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

I have some idea what I'm talking about, see my post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25210523 and I don't kniow about why using a packrat over anything else. I pull something off the shelf, antlr for my latest project, then get on with it.

The parser is the most trivial side of things, if you consider that a key skill it comes across as being an issue from the 1970s, not today. Writing a RD by hand is not a big deal anyway as someone else said.

If your into optimising compilers you're focusing on a very odd area to criticise. I'd gave though more about dataflow using lattices or whatever, graph stuff etc.

So parsing aside, what are the 'relevant' skills you feel are missing?

(and what are 'Database Compilers'? Nearest I can think of that may fit are query optimisers)

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#93

Post by throwaway_pdp09 »

Ambroisie wrote: post #63
ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

What ressources do you recommend I read, or what I can do, to learn more about applicable compiler knowledge?

Prev post by me, if it's any help https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25210523

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#94

Post by chrisseaton »

carom wrote: post #84
ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

Is that such a critical hiring criteria? That seems like something I could learn in a week.

> That seems like something I could learn in a week.

So why not learn it in a week then apply for the job?

I would suggest the reason is... because you cannot learn it in a week.

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#95

Post by chrisseaton »

ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

> Good luck hiring an engineer with advanced compiler courses knowing any of this.

Have you tried raising the level of compensation you offer? There are engineers elsewhere doing this at other companies you could presumably get if you put your hands in your pockets?

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#96

Post by vector_spaces »

ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

I saw this great interview recently with Anders Hejlsberg at MSFT on how modern compiler construction differs from what is taught in traditional University courses. Is this what you're alluding to?

After watching that interview, it's strange to read a comment like yours. While the architecture is completely different, it doesn't frankly seem like that big a leap to go from "senior engineer with X years working on thing that's tangentially related to compilers" to being able to be productive in a reasonable amount of time working with the new architecture. What am I missing?

https://youtu.be/wSdV1M7n4gQ

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#98

Post by chrisseaton »

vector_spaces wrote: post #96
ibains wrote: post #59

I’ve worked on multiple compilers (optimizations expert) at MSFT on VS and CUDA and gave developed a DSL and worked on Database Compilers. I can’t hire compiler people with right skills. We’re building an IDE and those parsers are written differently, and we use Scala packrat parser combinators. These courses teach very little judgement or industry relevant stuff. When do you use packrat parser vs LALR vs LL? Good lu…

I saw this great interview recently with Anders Hejlsberg at MSFT on how modern compiler construction differs from what is taught in traditional University courses. Is this what you're alluding to? After watching that interview, it's strange to read a comment like yours. While the architecture is completely different, it doesn't frankly seem like that big a leap to go from "senior engineer with X years working on thi…

It's pretty hard to pick up compiler skills because very little of it is written down. It takes a lot of time (a few years) working with code bases and papers to absorb it.

Re: Advanced Compilers: Self-Guided Online Course

#99

Post by nandaja »

JackTheHopper wrote: post #66
nandaja wrote: post #40

Anyone interested in following the course together during the holidays? To keep each other motivated etc.

Do you have a group for us to join?

Okay, I just created this on discord https://discord.gg/RBPmmdWg. Considering it might be more accessible for people. Wondering if I should post this out of the thread.
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