What is the history of Plan9's C compiler? Was it a from scratch implementation? > On Mar 7, 2024, at 4:57 PM, Rob Pike wrote: > > Chris Fraser and Dave Hanson did LLC and wrote a book about it, very clean and pedagogically valuable. > > https://www.amazon.com.au/Retargetable-C-Compiler-Design-Implementation/dp/0805316701 > > -rob > > > On Fri, Mar 8, 2024 at 11:31 AM Warner Losh > wrote: >> >> >> On Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 5:08 PM Rich Salz > wrote: >>> I believe Snyder was an MIT Master's thesis, finished in 1975[1]. There was a fair amount of C and compiler work at MIT LCS, perhaps JNC can post some info. I think Snyder's compiler was used for the MIT PC/IP[2] project; the links at BitSavers imply they are related. PC/IP brought TCP and clients to DOS 3 machines and was commercialized as FTP software and was one of the reasons for the creation of the MIT license[4]. BDS C[3] was done by an MIT drop-out, Leor Zolman. I bought my first motorcycle from him :) BDS C was used for the first implementations of MINCE (mince is not complete emacs -- those kinds of acronyms were popular) and Scribble, downsized clones of emacs and Scribe, respectively. >>> >>> [1] http://www.lcs.mit.edu/publications/specpub.php?id=717 >>> [2] https://web.mit.edu/Saltzer/www/publications/pcip-1986.pdf >>> [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BDS_C >>> [4] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9263265 >> >> Judging from what's at the bitsavers I posted, the source for pcip and this is the backstory to them. >> >> Warner