andrew@lemming.gwd.tek.com (Andrew Klossner) (07/15/87)
[] "Look up symbol tables for a moment. Most of the information there is about data structures i.e., hash tables and string storage. Why is this here? It's a waste of the reader's time - anyone reading this book will know about linked lists." Maybe not. In my freshman year, before I knew anything about data structures, I picked up David Gries' old blue book ("Compiler Construction for Digital Computers"?) and read the symbol table chapter. It was one of the most exciting hours of my college experience. For what it's worth, I've also taught classes from both the old and new dragon books, and would do so again. My major complaint about the new book is that some of the material adapted from the old book was broken in the transition. It seems to me that not enough care was taken in verifying the new book before sending it to the printers. -=- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!tekecs!andrew) [UUCP] (andrew%tekecs.tek.com@relay.cs.net) [ARPA] [Both editions of the dragon book were typeset with the authors using troff. I suppose that's what happens when you edit stuff with ed. -John] -- Send compilers articles to ima!compilers or, in a pinch, to Levine@YALE.ARPA Plausible paths are { ihnp4 | decvax | cbosgd | harvard | yale | cca}!ima Please send responses to the originator of the message -- I cannot forward mail accidentally sent back to compilers. Meta-mail to ima!compilers-request