Building Server-Side Web Language Processors

Hi, today’s blog entry is going to talk about an article called “Building Server-Side Web Language Processors and once again, the author is our Compilers Design professor Ariel Ortiz. Basically, it talks about and discusses useful insights for instructors who are considering using some kind of web approach in the courses involving language design and implementation. The purpose is to have students build a language processor that runs on the web, rather than on processor that runs on a command-line shell as normally they do. This web tool or web server was used for three different courses: Programming Languages, Language Translators and Software Development Project. I want to mention that from these subjects, I also have taken the first one, while the others are completely new to me, I’ve never heard about them and I think they aren’t imparted anymore, at least not with that name.

I found interesting that incorporation of a web-based approach into those courses. Why? Because it involves both language design and implementation, something I consider key as the kind of knowledge we are expecting to get from those subjects. And it’s even more important because nowadays everything is tending to be using the internet, so learning to used and develop web-based tools is very important. I think in a few years; everything is going to be using the internet, and as I am not really into web development, I really would like to take a deeper look at this or just start understanding and learning a little about it.

Finally, our professor argued that the best results were from the Software Development Project, it’s funny because it’s like all this paper was like an experiment result. Maybe my generation will be in some next paper of our professor and the next generations that take these courses are going to see the results of some techniques or tools used for our learning during these classes.