On: C compiler with support for structs written in Assembly

[fb03]

But how was the first compiler bootstrapped? Serious question (how can a compiler of X language be written in X?)

[coliveira → fb03]

They wrote in another language. I think the bootstrap C compiler was written in BCPL.

[pieterr → coliveira]

More info can be found here (straight from the source...)

https://www.bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/chist.html

https://www.bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/primevalC.html

[garmaine → coliveira]

And, for example, C++ was originally a C program that transpiled C++ -> C.

[sigjuice → garmaine]

No, it wasn’t. “Transpile” is not a real word. There is no need to desecrate the first ever C++ compiler.

[garmaine → sigjuice]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source-to-source_compiler

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cfront

[sigjuice → garmaine]

“Source-to-source” is redundant. You can just shorten this to “compiler”.

[pawelmurias → sigjuice]

It's not redundant. A "source-to-source" compiler isn't a "source-to-machine code" compiler

[sigjuice → pawelmurias]

It is redundant. See page 1 of most compiler books.

Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools

Simply stated, a compiler is a program that can read a program in one language - the source language - and translate it into an equivalent program in another language - the target language

Engineering a Compiler

Compilers are computer programs that translate a program written in one language into a program written in another language

[chrisseaton → sigjuice]

The word ‘transpiler’ has been used in academic literature since at least the late 60s.

[sigjuice → chrisseaton]

It has been (mis)used in a very tiny amount of academic literature. It obviously did not catch on for what one might only hope were good reasons. There is no good reason to promote this now.

[zadler → coliveira]

Thsts awesome. Id love to see a lineage tree of early language development.