Programming Language Fundamentals by Example

2

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

2.1    MEMORANDUM FROM THE PRESIDENT

Congratulations on being named to the company’s secret compiler project. Alternative Arithmetics is pleased to have developed a stack-based processor that achieves five petaflops. Such processor speeds make many heretofore impossible computations possible.

In order to make use of this speed, we must develop a new compiler. We have considered the three types of languages: imperative, functional, and logical. We believe our best chance for success lies in developing a functional language that we are tentatively calling Errett after the mathematician Errett Bishop. Functional languages generally allow for very powerful type systems (ML, for example) and very clean semantics. ...