Data and Program Structures

Aim

The aim of the course is that the students should gain knowledge of different programming paradigms and strategies for evaluation, and how these can be implemented. After the course the student will be able to:

• implement various aspects of evaluation and execution in different language models
• understand how design choices affect the expressiveness and efficacy of a programming language
• understand different evaluation and compilation strategies for different programming languages based on their models
• implement programming languages in the form of an interpreter and a compiler

Content

The following topics are adressed during lectures and lessons:

• The Python programming language, used as a tool in the literature and during the labs, and as a model language for implementing other languages.
• The substition and environmental model.
• Programming paradigms and models of evaluation, e.g. declarative, functional, imperative, object oriented; lazy evaluation, streams, non-deterministic evaluation, logic programming.
• Aspects of evaluation, parameter passing, exection environments and models of recursion.
• Study and implmenentation of an interpreter for a kernel language.
• Bytecode, virtual machines and garbage collection strategies.