Chapter 6: Should instructors approach Language Design and Implementation with Server-Side Web tools?


The paper I read this time was how Ariel Ortiz explains us the advantages and shortcomings of approaching language design and implementation with building Server-Side web language processors. This was brought up by the author because Compiler design courses are part in the curricula, and while there are ways and tools to explore the subject, nothing is written in stone; new technologies arise and new ways to teach stuff. Making a hybrid curriculum composed from web technology and language implementation into a single course is what was described on this article. There are many ways to implement this, either using the Common Gateway Interface, building over an existing web technology, or even programming our own Web Server.

Ariel Ortiz has used this web approach in different courses, in Programming Languages, Language Translators, and Software Development Project, finally concluding that web-based approach is possible, leading to different results depending on methodology used and course taught. For example, in the Programming Languages course, Ariel lead the students to write an infix expression evaluator with flex and bison with C, and the result was displayed in a new HTML page. However, in Language Translation course it was harder, as two thirds of the projects worked as expected. Finally, Software Development using this approach was great, as all projects succeeded and had positive feedback about the web-based approach.

As for the time being I am doing my Compilers Design course, and we are taking a small peak into Flex and Bison, so maybe we will see a clearer Web-based approach at the end of the semester, and getting to know the feedback from previous courses about the methodology, I can´t wait to see it implemented in more future courses. Finally I would like to conclude that it seems that teaching is getting renovated thanks to technology and the new ways students interact with teachers and everything around them.

References:
Ortiz A. (N.D.) Building Server-Side Web Language Processors. Available on: http://webcem01.cem.itesm.mx:8005/publicaciones/weblang.pdf


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