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A space‐efficient code generation scheme for BCPL
Author(s) -
Agarwal Rakesh K.,
Chanson Samuel T.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380100202
Subject(s) - computer science , intermediate language , scheme (mathematics) , space (punctuation) , programming language , code (set theory) , representation (politics) , salient , word (group theory) , translation (biology) , realization (probability) , encoding (memory) , theoretical computer science , artificial intelligence , mathematics , compiler , mathematical analysis , biochemistry , chemistry , statistics , geometry , set (abstract data type) , politics , messenger rna , political science , law , gene , operating system
This paper presents a methodology in generating space‐efficient code for BCPL and BCPL‐like programming languages. An intermediate language called ICE was designed which, while preserving those program features salient to translation, also tries to minimize the number of instructions generated. This internal representation is then realized as an actual machine. The encoding scheme (called ES0) is based on usage frequencies of instructions and other real world constraints on machines such as word size and addressing space. Using a large sample of BCPL programs, it is shown that BCODE, which is a realization of OCODE (the intermediate language currently used for BCPL program translation), takes up an average of 32 per cent more space as compared to ICE/ES0.