[comp.os.msdos.programmer] Compiler construction software

trier@cwlim.INS.CWRU.Edu (Stephen C. Trier) (06/07/91)

In article <1991Jun4.233010.7375@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>, plh@cad.cs.Virginia.EDU (Patrick L. Heck) writes:
> I am in need of a DOS version of lex and yacc.
> Is there anything available commercially or in
> the public domain (especially via anon ftp)?

Try the following:
   wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/txtutl/bison111.zip
   wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/txtutl/byacc.zip
   wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/txtutl/flex23.zip

Bison is the Free Software Foundation's YACC replacement.  It carries some
licensing strings that may or may not be desirable in your project.

BYACC is a port of Berkeley YACC, a completely public-domain yacc developed
at Berkeley.  I did an early port of this and found it to be quite useful.
There are no licensing strings attached.

Flex is "Fast Lex", developed at Berkeley and elsewhere.  This has been
adopted by the Free Software Foundation, but I believe that it carries a
Berkeley-style "Do what you want, but don't hold us liable" copyright.
Its output code is in the public domain -- no strings attached.

I think you will find any of these tools to be stable enough for real-world
programming.  They are also substantially cheaper than MKS's commercial
equivalents.  (In other words, they're free.)

Maybe this question should go in the Frequently Asked Questions list.  I
see it every month or two, and the usual response does not mention the
free alternatives to the commercial lexes and yaccs.

-- 
Stephen Trier                      "So don't expect replies for a day or two
Case Western Reserve University     (until the computing centre staff gets back
Information Network Services        from wherever they hide on weekends. ;-) )"
trier@ins.cwru.edu                      - cplma@marlin.jcu.edu.au