Re: neos Universal Compiler

Mr Flibble <flibble@reddwarf.jmc.corp> wrote:

On Mon, 17 Mar 2025 21:43:47 +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote:

Mr Flibble <flibble@reddwarf.jmc.corp> wrote:

Hi!

neos universal compiler (that can compile any programming language) is
successfully running the tokenization stage tokenizing a program
written in the neos reference language. #cpp #coding #compiler #compsci
#gamedev

/Flibble

How is neos (the tokenisation stage) essentially different from lex (the
~50 year old unix utility)?  What advantages will neos (if completed)
offer over a compiler based on a lex/yacc combination?

neos grammar definition is superior to lex's in that it is based on EBNF
(rather than a horrid mixture of C and regex) so is much more human
friendly potentially opening up language design to the masses possibly
making neos a technological singularity in the areas of language and
compiler design.

lex and yacc both use BNF, or something very like it.

lex/yacc generates a static frontend (that must be compiled) that is
different for each supported programming language whilst neos has just one
frontend which does not require compilation.

I can't see the essential difference from that paragraph.  neos will
have to interpret a syntactic description, just as lex and yacc do.
They may differ in how and when things get compiled, etc., which is to
be expected after 50 years of hardware and software development.

Still, I wish you all the best with this ambitious project.

/Flibble

--
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).