From: Phillip Gawlowski <cmdjackryan@...>
Date: 2008-05-08T22:16:05+09:00
Subject: Re: A computer science book to learn about interpreter, VM etc

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

flexaxis@gmail.com wrote:
| I learned HTML and then I learned programming. Have been a JAVA
| programmer for a bunch of years and now I have been working on Rails
| for more than six months. Never worked on C though.
|
| I am having trouble understanding this thread.
|
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.ruby/browse_thread/thread/d69165ad2b711c2c#
|
| But I want to understand what is being discussed. I guess I need a
| computer science book which describes what exactly interpreting means.

Interpreted: translated into machine code every time the source is executed.

Compiled: 'Translated' into the machine code once, and then executed
from this object code (C) / byte code (Java) / Intermediary Language (.NET).

| Also the other day some guys were talking about ERB being interpreted
| but liquid (shopify guys) not being interpreted. I couldn't follow
| that too. Also I can't follow what is "Iron ruby". I mean what does it
| mean to have ruby being ported to .NET .

IronRuby is 'just' an implementation of Ruby for the .NET language
platform (IIRC, they use C#). It is about the same as writing Ruby in C,
and comparable to JRuby, a Ruby implementation using the Java language. ;)

| Could you please refer me a book or two which explains these computer
| science fundamentals. Also note that I don't have much background to
| build up on so please refer books which are not too *geeky*.

I think the Red Dragon Book is the de facto standard work on compiler
theory.[0]

However, from what I know, the book as anything but non-geeky...


N.B.: This is all from a layman's perspective, too. :|

[0]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniques,_and_Tools

- --
Phillip Gawlowski
Twitter: twitter.com/cynicalryan
Blog: http://justarubyist.blogspot.com

~   What's the point of wearing your favorite rocketship underpants if
nobody ever asks to see 'em?  -- Calvin
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.8 (MingW32)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iEYEARECAAYFAkgi/RcACgkQbtAgaoJTgL/ZhgCdGfq0yR0chBCnbupy2UAes+JI
kYYAoIIJX/SE+6o9tjLuvLtsDP8AuZSS
=0/Ft
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----