CS 3723 Programming Languages

• Instructor: Neal R. Wagner
  Office: 3.02.16 SB.
  Office hours (tentative): MWF 9-10 am, MW 1-3 pm.
  Phone: (210)458-5550.

• Syllabus

Basic information about the course, some of it repeated in more detail below.
• Goals and Objectives

The syllabus mentions course goals and objectives, while this link discusses them in more detail.
• Lectures and Assignments (tentative)

There will be a 6-part programming project and up to 4 written homework assignments.
• Class Seating Chart, BB 3.01.08

Please try to stick to the same seat each period.
• Overview of the Programming Project

This is a project to write a compiler for a small subset of C/C++ (and almost Java).
• Grading Policy

Your grade will depend on a programming project, written homework, two in-class hour exams, a final exam, and attendance.
• Dishonesty Policy

As a new policy, you will be required to submit a concatenated file of all programming assignments by e-mail. You will also need comments at the beginning of each programming assignment identifying any sources of program code that you did not write yourself.
• Course Handouts

Many handouts for the course will be provided here in several forms: as text-only (".txt" or ".text"), as source programs (".c" or ".cpp" or ".java"), and as a Postscript file (".ps").
• Textbook: Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools

By Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman, Addison-Wesley, 1986
This text is a classic in the field, written by the world's leading experts on compiler technology. Written in 1986, the text is dated in a few respects, but this is a mature technology whose underpinnings have not been changing much. (More advanced applications, such as parallelism and code generation have been changing more rapidly, but we won't be dealing with these subjects anyway.) The other disadvantage of the text is that it is written at a fairly sophisticated level. Finally, there were no reasonable competing texts on the market.

 Sites related to the textbook:

• Amazon.com's listing for the text.
  Our text is priced here at $65.00, the same as in the UTSA Bookstore. With shipping, but no taxes, it should work out about the same.
• Publisher's site for the book.
• bookpool.com's listing for the text.
  Our text is priced here at $52.95, in contrast with $65.00 in the UTSA Bookstore. Various students have recommended this as a cheap source for technical books. Should be as much as a $12 savings over the UTSA bookstore.
• Brian's Book's listing for the text.
  Our text is priced here at $57.95, in contrast with $65.00 in the UTSA Bookstore. I have not used Brian's Book's, so I can't vouch for them, but assuming the price quoted is correct and with no tax and modest shipping, this should be a $7 or so savings over the UTSA bookstore.
• Description (From the UTSA Undergraduate Catalog):

3723 Programming Languages
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: CS 3233 and 3323.
An introduction to the organization of high-level programming languages, including data types, control structures, data flow, and run time environments. Use of formal syntax descriptions. The implications of interpretation versus compilation. Activation records and dynamic storage in block structured languages.

Special Note: The prerequisite of CS 3323 (Topics in Programming Languages) is out of date; CS 3323 is no longer required for a CS major. Instead, this current course, CS 3723, will be required in the future. Because of other changes to our curriculum (in particular, because of our decision to introduce programming with the Java language), we will probably not offer CS 3323 very often.

The Spring 2000 semester is a special case because many (or most) students in CS 3723 will have taken the CS 3323 course. The CS 3323 course has covered some of the elementary material from a standard CS 3723 course. For this reason, I plan to teach CS 3723 in a different way from the way that I anticipate it will be taught in subsequent semesters. In particular, there will be more emphasis on compiler topics and there will be a programming project related to compilers.
 

• Extra Topics:
  • Postscript.
    Postscript Programs
  • Prolog.
    Prolog knowledgebase example
    Example Prolog session
    Other Prolog examples
    Prolog Manual
    (Follow the link and click on the upper left "contents" icon.)
    (This SWI prolog reference is also available directly on the ringer system, under the directory
       /usr/local/lib/pl-3.2.9/Manual/
       If you are on ringer you can open this directory under "File -- Open Page" in Netscape.)

First Examination: Wednesday, 23 Feb 2000 Review
Final Examination: Friday, May 12, 2000, 1:30-4:15 pm, Review