Introduction to Compilers and Language Design
Introduction to Compilers and Language Design by Douglas Thainby Douglas Thain
Ranked 9 of 9 compiler textbooks by recommenders
Recommended as a practical compiler course with a project that builds a working C-style compiler; critics say it omits major language design topics.
Recommended as a practical compiler course with a project that builds a working C-style compiler; critics say it omits major language design topics.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Course project builds a C-style compiler
“the course project made me build a working C-style compiler step by step”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Introduction to Compilers and Language Design” Better than most similar compiler courses
“This one is ok, better than most similar courses based on, say, the dragon book.”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Introduction to Compilers and Language Design” Good material on error handling and folding
“It's given me great material on error handling suggestions and constant folding”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Introduction to Compilers and Language Design”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Misses major language design topics
“I don't see any of the major topics of language design.”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Introduction to Compilers and Language Design”
Other compiler textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other compiler textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Toolsby Aho, Sethi and Ullman | 23 | 17 | 58% | 9 | — | — |
| Modern Compiler Implementationby Andrew Appel | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Writing a C Compilerby Nora Sandler | 8 | 2 | 80% | 8 | — | — |
| Engineering a Compilerby Cooper and Torczon | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Introduction to Compilers and Language Designby Douglas ThainThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's given me great material on error handling suggestions and constant folding”
“This one is ok, better than most similar courses based on, say, the dragon book.”
“I don't see any of the major topics of language design.”
“the course project made me build a working C-style compiler step by step”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.