Re: ergonomie du compilateur

From: Donald Syme (Donald.Syme@cl.cam.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Jan 31 1997 - 15:21:06 MET


To: Xavier Leroy <Xavier.Leroy@inria.fr>
Subject: Re: ergonomie du compilateur
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 15:21:06 +0100
From: Donald Syme <Donald.Syme@cl.cam.ac.uk>
Message-Id: <E0vqKm3-0000UW-00@heaton.cl.cam.ac.uk>

> > - There is no error recovery in the compiler. Before I start the
> > first compile I have at least 5 syntax errors in the file. In
> > order to find them I have to go through at least 5 edit-compile
> > cycles, which I find very annoying.
>
> My experience with ML compilers that attempt error recovery is that
> they usually get it wrong and report many spurious syntax errors after
> the first actual error, which is even more annoying than stopping at
> the first error. Perhaps that's because of the ML syntax, which
> has fewer obvious resynchronization points than, say, C syntax.

I've found the lack of error recovery (in Moscow ML) particularly tiresome
when reporting mismatches between signatures and structures, and also
when multiple undefined identifiers exist. Error recovery certainly
improves productivity in these cases, from my experience with NJSML.
I also think it helps with syntax, at least for the SML syntax.

Cheers,
Don Syme



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