3 Oct
2023
3 Oct
'23
7:25 a.m.
Steve,
Was Yacc an original coinage, or was it inspired by a similar acronym
for yet another whatever? The question is inspired by Yamoo, yet
another map of Orion, which is mentioned in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/orion-nebula-webb-planets.html.
Do the two acronyms share a common ancestor?
Doug
4 Oct
4 Oct
1:14 a.m.
According to WIkipedia (for what that’s worth), it was Stephen Johnson’s
coining of it for YACC that started it all.
------ Original Message ------
From "Douglas McIlroy" <douglas.mcilroy(a)dartmouth.edu>
To "TUHS main list" <tuhs(a)tuhs.org>; scj(a)yaccman.com
Date 10/2/23, 9:25:18 PM
Subject [TUHS] etymology of yacc
Steve,
Was Yacc an original coinage, or was it inspired by a similar acronym
for yet another whatever? The question is inspired by Yamoo, yet
another map of Orion, which is mentioned in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/orion-nebula-webb-planets.html.
Do the two acronyms share a common ancestor?
Doug
1:42 a.m.
From
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2534771/yacc--unix--and-advice-from--…
What made you name your parser generator in the form of an acronym: Yet Another Compiler
Compiler? There were other Compiler-compilers in use at Bell Labs, especially as part of
the Multics project. I was familiar with a version of McClure's TMG. When Jeff Ullman
heard about my program, he said in astonishment "Another compiler-compiler?".
Thus the name...
On Oct 2, 2023, at 6:25 PM, Douglas McIlroy
<douglas.mcilroy(a)dartmouth.edu> wrote:
Steve,
Was Yacc an original coinage, or was it inspired by a similar acronym
for yet another whatever? The question is inspired by Yamoo, yet
another map of Orion, which is mentioned in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/orion-nebula-webb-planets.html.
Do the two acronyms share a common ancestor?
Doug
11:22 a.m.
I thought that was probably the reason. Compiler-compilers weren't
exactly news by that time ...
On 4/10/23 08:42, Bakul Shah wrote:
From
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2534771/yacc--unix--and-advice-from--…
*What made you name your parser generator in the form of an
acronym: Yet Another Compiler Compiler?* There were other
Compiler-compilers in use at Bell Labs, especially as part of the
Multics project. I was familiar with a version of McClure's TMG.
When Jeff Ullman heard about my program, he said in astonishment
"Another compiler-compiler?". Thus the name...
On Oct 2, 2023, at 6:25 PM, Douglas McIlroy
<douglas.mcilroy(a)dartmouth.edu> wrote:
Steve,
Was Yacc an original coinage, or was it inspired by a similar acronym
for yet another whatever? The question is inspired by Yamoo, yet
another map of Orion, which is mentioned in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/orion-nebula-webb-planets.html.
Do the two acronyms share a common ancestor?
Doug
445
days inactive
446
days old
3 comments
4 participants
participants (4)
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Bakul Shah -
Douglas McIlroy -
Ron Natalie -
Wesley Parish