Rudy Velthuis (TeamB) wrote:

> Mattias Andersson wrote:
>
>> Rudy Velthuis (TeamB) wrote:
>>
>>> I don't follow, sorry. They do write compilers, don't they? That
>>> makes me think they are not dependent on existing compiler
>>> generators.
>>
>> Well, a lot of compilers are dependent on existing compiler
>> generators
>
> So what? They already have a compiler. Converting that to Delphi
> should not require the generation of a new one by a compiler
> generator.

responding to your assertion that there is no dependency between the 
compiler and the compiler generator.

> Which compilers are actually dependent on existing compiler
> generators?

If you want to change the grammar of the language then this requires you to 
recreate the shift/reduce tables of the parser. The compiler generator will 
also give you skeleton code that you will have to integrate in the existing 
parser. This process may be more demanding depending on what compiler 
generator you're using. It's obviously a different work methodology than 
writing a compiler "by hand".


Mattias