Houjun Liu

SU-CS143 APR012025

its compilers time!

digraph {
rankdir=LR;
graph [bgcolor=transparent];
node [fontcolor=white, color=white];
edge [fontcolor=white, color=white];

program -> compiler -> "binary code";
}

a bit of history

manual punch cards — slow to write

speedcoding

  • 10-20 times slower than hand written assembly
  • interpreter!

…nobody used it

Fortran I

John Backus

  • development time halved
  • performance is close to hand-written assembly (80%!)

Key automation: you had to manage the finite number of registers in hand-writing assembly, but Fortran would fix that for you.