CS 664 Syllabus

20 January 2016

Welcome to CS 664, Compiler Theory and Design — a study of compiler organization, including symbol tables, lexical analysis, syntactic analysis, semantic analysis, code generation and optimization techniques.

When:
Wednesday evenings 6–8:30pm
Where:
H-214
Credits:
3
Format:
This is a blended course, which means that nearly half of the content is delivered online. Consult the detailed schedule to to determine which weeks we meet face-to-face vs online.

Most software developers will never implement a full-blown native-code compiler, so why study compilers at all?

  • Some of the algorithms and techniques routinely used in compilers also appear in other kinds of systems. As just a few examples: graph coloring, strongly-connected components, unification, tree walking, and pattern matching.

  • Many non-compiler applications involve some amount of lexical analysis and parsing, whether for configuration files, data formats, or presentation templates.

  • Languages are the tools of our trade; understanding how they are implemented can make you a better software developer.

Contact Info

Instructor:
Prof. Christopher League, Ph.D.
Email:
— please include the course number (CS664) in the subject. I have several email addresses, but all messages end up in the same place, so use only one.
Google Hangout:
cleague@gmail.com
Office hours:
Monday 2:30–3:50, Wednesday 4–5:20 or make an appointment at https://liucs.net/bookme
Office phone:
+1 718 488 1274
Office location:
LLC 206, LIU Brooklyn

Resources

Web sites:

We will use several web resources:

If you have a question or problem that might also apply to other students, please ask on Piazza rather than by email. Then other students can help you too, and the solution is available for all to see. Try to use email only for personal matters such as your grades.

Text:

Language Implementation Patterns by Terrence Parr, ISBN 978-1-934356-45-6 https://pragprog.com/book/tpdsl/language-implementation-patterns The eBook is $24 for a DRM-free PDF; a combo price is available for eBook + paper.

The above book contains many useful concepts, patterns, and techniques, but unfortunately it’s based on ANTLR 3 and I prefer to work with ANTLR 4. So it may be helpful also to obtain The Definitive ANTLR 4 Reference by Terrence Parr, ISBN 978-1-93435-699-9 https://pragprog.com/book/tpantlr2/the-definitive-antlr-4-reference.

Library:
Campus library resources tailored for computer science are available at https://liucs.net/u1

Requirements

There are a total of 1,000 points available, broken down as follows:

  • There will be 8 programming assignments scheduled throughout the semester. The exact requirements and expectations for each will be posted to the course web site. They are worth 100 points each, for a total of 800 points.

  • There is no midterm exam, but there will be a final exam, worth 200 points.

On the 1,000-point scale, you can expect the following letter grades:

   ≥ 870: B+ ≥ 770: C+ ≥ 670: D+
≥ 930: A ≥ 830: B ≥ 730: C ≥ 600: D
≥ 900: A–    ≥ 800: B–    ≥ 700: C–    else: F

In the end, I may choose to adjust the scale slightly to compensate for assignments or questions that turned out to be trickier than I intended. Such adjustments would never lower your grade from what is designated in the above table; if you achieve 930 points, you are guaranteed an A.

Policies

It is important to complete milestone requirements on time, so you don’t fall behind. Late work will be graded as follows.

This formula specifies a lateness factor \(f\) that is multiplied by your earned score to determine a late score. The variable \(h\) represents the number of hours the submission is late.

\[ f = \frac{8.5 - \log_2{\left(\frac{h}{24}\right)}}{10} \]

You can adjust the sliders beside the graph below to visualize the effect of this formula. The green slider at the left controls the score you would have received based on the content of the work. The red slider below controls how late the assignment was turned in. The red circle in the graph indicates the adjusted score.

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There will be no extra credit. Students usually ask for extra credit late in the semester after they have already squandered their original opportunities. Be sure to start your work early, so that we can detect and solve any problems before they can affect your grade.

Plagiarism is the use or presentation of ideas, words, or work that is not one’s own and that is not common knowledge, without granting credit to the originator. Plagiarism is a practice that is not only unacceptable, but which is to be condemned in the strongest terms possible on the basis of moral, educational and legal grounds. Under University policy, plagiarism may be punishable by a range of penalties from a failing grade in the assignment or course to dismissal from the School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences. All students are required to read the handbook on avoiding plagiarism by visiting https://liucs.net/u2

Cheating includes, but is not limited to the following: falsification of statements or data; listing sources that have not been used; having another individual write your paper or do your assignments; writing a paper or creating work for another student to use without proper attribution; purchase of paper or research work for one’s submission as his/her own work; using written, verbal, or electronic or other sources of aid during an examination (except when expressly permitted by the instructor, depending on the nature of the examination) or knowingly providing such assistance to aid other students.

In a course with programming assignments, it is usually okay to work with and learn from other students to some extent, but what you submit in the end needs to be your own. The most reliable way to do that would be to set aside whatever code you created together, and then recreate it from scratch on your own.

Showing up on time to class is extremely important. If you must be absent or more than 5 minutes late, please try to notify me in advance. I will be keeping track of whether you are in class, and when you arrive. A few missed classes will not count against you, but habitual absence will significantly hurt your grade. Additionally, there will be no make-up quizzes. I do not distinguish between ‘excused’ and ‘unexcused’ absence. Unless you miss an exam due to a severe medical emergency, I don’t want to see a doctor’s note. If you do miss an exam, the make-up exam will be different – and probably not easier.

Long Island University seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities, whether psychological, neurological, chronic medical, learning, sensory, or physical. The University will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to register with Student Support Services as early as possible and to provide faculty members with the formal communication for suitable accommodations. Visit Pratt 410, call 718 488 1044, or visit http://www.liu.edu/Brooklyn/SSS

I participate in the LIU Safe Zone program. Representatives of the program serve as contacts for individuals on campus with questions or concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity, whether of self or of a friend or family member. The goal of the program is to promote a safe and free campus for all students. Safe Zone areas can be identified by a sticker with the LIU Safe Zone logo.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students control over the disclosure of their educational records. During this course you may have the opportunity to create accounts or register with certain public online services. In these cases, you need not make any personally identifying information public. You may use a pseudonym or online handle, as long as you identify yourself to the instructor.

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