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C311 Fall 1996
C311 -- Programming Languages -- Fall 1996
- Instructor
-
Christopher T. (Chris) Haynes, email chaynes@indiana.edu
- Associate Instructor
- Gustavo
Gomez, email ggomezes@cs.indiana.edu
- Credit Hours
- 4
- Requirements
- C335 (Prerequisite) and C343 (Pre- or Corequisite)
- Lecture
- Section 1139 meets Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30P to 3:45P in LH102
- Discussion Sections
-
- Section 8763 meets Monday, 2:30P to 3:20P in SE245
- Section 1140 meets Wednesday, 2:30P to 3:20P in LI451
- Office Hours
-
- Tuesday
-
- 1:30A to 2:30P in LH 230F (Chris Haynes)
- 2:30A to 3:45P in LH 230F (Chris Haynes)
- Thursday
-
- 9:00A to 12:00A in LH230 (Gustavo Gomez)
- 1:30A to 2:30P in LH 230F (Chris Haynes)
- 2:30A to 3:45P in LH 230F (Chris Haynes)
- Local newsgroup
- ac.c.311
- Web URL
-
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/classes/c311/
Catalog Description
Systematic approach to programming languages. Relationships among
languages, properties and features of languages, and the computer
environment necessary to use languages.
This course provides an introduction to the foundations of programming
languages, allowing a thorough understanding of programming language
semantics and critical implementation characteristics. This provides
the basis for the best choice and use of existing languages, as well
as language design.
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.)
Topics include
- Induction, Recursion, and Scope
- Direct semantics interpreters
- Continuation-passing style
- Continuation-semantics interpreter
- Imperative form and stack architecture
- Static and dynamic semantics for object-oriented programming
- Object-oriented run-time architecture
- Required
- Essentials of Programming Languages, by Friedman, Wand and
Haynes.
This text, known hereafter as EOPL,
should be available in any of the three big textbook
bookstores (T.I.S, Aristotle's or the I.U. Bookstore), but you may get
it cheaper if you can find a grad or undergrad student who's
taken C311 or C511 and is willing to part with it.
- Recommended
- The Little Schemer, by Friedman and Felleisen.
This should also be available in the bookstores, and a couple copies
are on reserve in the Swain Hall library.
The Little Lisper is older, but similar.
- Other
-
Other materials may be required through the semester. These
materials will be announced in class and will be made available
through the White Rabbit on Indiana (near Kirkwood) and will cost a
few dollars to cover copying costs.
Read the indicated material for each week before the week begins!
You are not expected to understand the material on first reading, but
having read it once first you will be much better prepared for class and
discussion sections. Read the material for the first two weeks in the
first week (much of it should be review). More material on Java will be made
available later.
Links in the list below are to the lecture scripts.
- Week of September 2
- (Re)introduction to Scheme: EOPL preface and chapter 1,
chapter 2 through section 2, and chapter 3 through section 3.
- Week of September 9
- Static Properties of Programs:
EOPL, remainder of chapters 2 and 3.
- Week of September 16
- Quiz. Imperative programming: Chapter 4 sections 5 and 6.
Simple interpreters: EOPL chapter 5
through section 2.
- Week of September 23
- Local binding, procedures, and assignment:
EOPL, sections 5.3 through 5.5.
- Week of September 30
- Recursion and dynamic scope: EOPL,
rest of chapter 5.
- Weeks of October 7
- Continuation-passing style: EOPL
chapter 8 sections 1, 2, 3, and 5.
- Week of October 14
- CPS rules: EOPL chapter 8 sections 4,
7, and 8. First exam.
- Week of October 21
- Representation-independent
interpreter, continuations as records, and reified continuations:
EOPL sections 9.1 through 9.3.
First-class continuations and exception handling.
- Week of October 28
- Imperative form and control stack
architecture: EOPL sections 10:1 and 10:2, thoroughly.
- Week of November 4
- Environment stack architecture: EOPL, rest
of chapter 10 for general information: not responsible for code details.
Paramater passing:
EOPL chapter 6; not responsible for material involving arrays.
- Week of November 11
- Second exam. Introduction to object-oriented
programming and Java:
EOPL section 7.1.
- Week of November 18
- Java programming tutorial. Static-methods-only Java type checker and
interpreter.
- Week of November 25
- Thanksgiving break.
- Week of December 2
- More object-oriented programming, Java
style: EOPL section 7.2 for general information.
Also emphasis on the
importance of virtual member functions in C++, as illustrated by virtual.C.
- Week of December 9
- Advanced Java topics.
Classes
Attendance at discussion sections is mandatory. Usually, 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!
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.
An assignment will usually be given each week. Assignments will
be added to the list below by 5:00P on Friday and due before 5:00P the next
Friday. Late assignments will not be accepted.
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 independently 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!
The following is a tentative schedule for evaluation, with approximate
percentage contributions to the final grade.
- Self assessment Quizette; 0 percent.
- Scheme Quiz -- R September 19, in class; 10
percent.
Write, in 30 minutes, several programs similar to those in the first assignment.
answers
- Exam One -- R October 17, in class, on
EOPL chapters 1
through 5; 20 percent. A sample
exam from last spring is available.
- Exam Two -- R November 14, in class, on
material covered in
class through T November 5 (does not include chapter 6: parameter passing);
20 percent. A
sample exam from last spring is available.
- Final Exam -- T December 17, 5P-7P, LH102; 35 percent. The final
will cover the whole course, with emphasis on material after the second exam.
A sample
final from last spring is available.
- Assignments; 10 percent.
- Subjective assessment based on attendance, participation, and
preparation for lectures and discussion sessions; 5 percent.
The sample exams are provided only to provide a general idea of what to
expect. The content of the course this semester differs somewhat,
especially after the second exam.
- Incompletes
An incomplete (I) final grade will be given only by prior
arrangement in exceptional circumstances conforming to
departmental policy in which the bulk of course work has been
completed in passing fashion.
- Possibly Important Dates
- M September 30 -- Last day to Pass/Fail the course.
- W October 30 -- Last day to drop the course on your own.
- W December 4 -- Last day to drop the course with a Dean's
approval.
- Academic integrity
For your ethical pleasure, you should read the Computer
Science Department statement on academic
integrity. It's dry, but important.
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