INTERCAL::ByteCode(3pm)

NAME
Language::INTERCAL::Bytecode - intermediate language

DESCRIPTION
The CLC-INTERCAL compiler works by producing bytecode from the program source; this bytecode can be interpreted to execute the program immediately; alternatively, a backend can produce something else from the bytecode, for example C or Perl source code which can then be compiled to your computer's native object format.

The compiler itself is just some more bytecode. Thus, to produce the compiler you need a compiler compiler, and to produce that you need a compiler compiler compiler; to produce the latter you would need a compiler compiler compiler compiler, and so on to infinity. To simplify the programmer's life (eh?), the compiler compiler is able to compile itself, and is therefore identical to the compiler compiler compiler (etcetera).

The programmer can start the process because a pre-compiled compiler compiler, in the form of bytecode, is generated somehow while installing CLC-INTERCAL: this compiler compiler then is able to compile all other compilers, as well as to rebuild itself if need be.

See the online manual or the HTML documentation included with the distribution for more information about this.

SEE ALSO
A qualified psychiatrist

AUTHOR
Claudio Calvelli - compiler (whirlpool) intercal.org.uk (Please include the word INTERLEAVING in the subject when emailing that address, or the email may be ignored)