http://www.cs.indiana.edu/classes/c311/
Interpreters and other language-processing programs are used throughout to present the essential elements of programming languages in a precise, analytic, manner. The extensive use of interpreters in this course also develops skill in meta-linguistic abstraction -- a powerful programming paradigm.
To thoroughly understand programming languages (or most any topic), it is necessary to have a variety of models, or views, at varying levels of abstraction. In this course we will employ a range of models from very high-level (almost mathematical semantics) to very low-level (almost assembly language), and emphasize the connections between levels.
Scheme is used as a meta-programming language throughout the course, but this course is about fundamentals that are the basis for most programming languages, not just Scheme. Special attention will be given to modeling the semantics of the Java language via a series of type checkers and interpreters.
(A slide presentation, available in condensed form, summarizes these points and others.)
Adjustments of this syllabus will be announced in class and reflected on this web page. Links in the list below are to lecture scripts, which may be revised shortly before and/or after the lectures.
Week of:
For the most part, assignments will be handed in by email to an automatic checker with feedback emailed back almost immediately. Assignments may be prepared on the system of your choice, but should run properly using Chez Scheme version 5. Homework will be graded by hand, but the automatic checker will detect some errors.
You are welcome to collaborate with others in the class, tutors, etc., but in every case, if you have received help on an assignment from anyone other than the instructor or associate instructor of the course, their names must be indicated at the beginning of the assignment. Though you are encouraged to work on assignments in groups, each individual is responsible for submitting their own copy of each assignment.
An assignment will usually be given each week. Unless there is an announcement to the contrary, assignments will be added to the table below by 5:00P on Monday and due before midnight of Tuesday the following week. Late assignments will not be accepted.
| # | Assignment | Due | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic Scheme | M 1/27 @ 5pm | a1.ss |
| 2 | Static Properties | T 2/4 @ 11:59pm | a2.ss |
| 3 | Simple Interpreter | T 2/11 @ 11:59pm | a3.ss |
| 4 | Procedures and Assignment | T 2/18 @ 11:59pm | a4.ss |
| 5 | Recursion and Dynamic Scope | T 2/25 @ 11:59pm | a5.ss |
| 6 | CPS Transformation | R 3/6 @ 11:59pm | a6.ss |
| 7 | CPS with Abstract Continuations | R 3/13 @ 11:59pm | a7.ss |
| 8 | CPS with Registers and Stacks | R 3/27 @ 11:59pm | a8.html |
| - | Exam 2. No assignment. | T 4/1 @ 2:30pm | exam2.html |
| 9 | Call by value/Call by reference | R 4/10 @ 11:59pm | a9.html |
| 10 | Simple Object Oriented Programming | R 4/17 @ 11:59pm | a10.ss |
| 11 | Closures in Java | S 4/27 @ 11:59pm | TestMapVector |
Attendance at discussion sections is mandatory. Often a problem or set of problems will be given out at the beginning of discussion section and the class will be broken up into small groups to solve the problems. The AI leading the discussion section will go between groups answering questions and asking questions about the work done so far and about the class material. Your answers to these questions, and your progress on the problems given in discussion section, will count toward your final grade.
Some lectures may also be conducted in this manner, and some other lectures will present material not found in the book. Don't miss class!
Our web has information on use of Scheme at IU, including emacs support. We will be using a few Scheme extensions not mentioned in EOPL.Points will be deducted on the homework, quiz, and exams if the cardinal rules of indentation are violated, so make it a habit to follow them whenever you write Scheme code. This will greatly aid your Scheme programming.
Though emacs is a big help, it is strongly suggested that you write solutions to all exercises by hand and check them carefully for correctness before approaching a computer. This will give you practice at indentation by hand (which is necessary for exams) and, more importantly, it is in most cases much easier to find mistakes in this course's exercises by thinking about them than by debugging.
The assignments don't count a whole lot toward your grade, but extensive experience has shown that students who do not make a serious effort to do the assignments do poorly on exams. Experience has also shown that if most students spent much more time with paper and pencil before approaching a computer, they would spend much less time debugging, and better understand their programs. An hour with a pencil is often worth several at the keyboard!
If you're having difficulty, don't hesitate to see the instructor or AI during office hours. If these times are not convenient, see us after class or discussion, or contact us by email or phone, to set up another time. We're here to help you!
The following is a tentative schedule for evaluation, with approximate percentage contributions to the final grade.
Before the end of the semester, please complete the electronic Course evaluation forms for Chris Haynes and your discussion section AI, Gustavo Gomez.
Chris Haynes / chaynes@indiana.edu