I do google search How did the 1st compiler was created? with different keyword, but I couldn't find the answer I'm looking for, So I bought this book Progamatic Compiler Design(I couldn't remember the exact name ofit),
the book is good describing compiler design from syntax, semantic, linking, compiling, run time
interpreter and networking programming (Socket).

but the book still doesn't answer my question...

This questions keep looping in my head...How did they design the first compiler? How to create compiler from scracth without the assigned compiler to compile the new compiler?

example: if we're creating new programming language lets call it D#.
We're designing D# compiler in D# syntax and its semantic. how do we compile this D# compiler without D# compiler?

Do we modify the GNU C compiler adding D# recompiler syntax, its semantic and all the other compier design requirement
such as linker, and run time?


Thank you,

Such a chicken (not egg) compiler would have to be written in assembler language or pure binary code.

"How did they design the first compiler?"

Computers were first programmed in binary. Then somebody wrote an assembler. Assembly language is a one for one correspondence between computer commands and binary instructions.

Then macros were added to assemblers. A macro generates several assembly instructions from one macro statement and then the assembler changes the assembly instructions into machine code.

Compilers developed from assemblers. The first compilers were essentially assemblers where you could do everything with macros without having to intersperce assembly instructions. Many early compilers worked by generating assembly code from the higher level language statements and then running the assembly code through an assembler.

Two of the earliest high level languages were Fortran and Algol. Cobol came shortly after. You can find out more information about the evolution of compilers from macro assemblers by looking up the beginnings of Fortran and Algol.

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Steve Stites

Thank you guys.. ^__^