Chapter 3. Collaborate with the compileralgorithms
Chapter 7 from Five Lines of Code by Christian Clausen
This chapter covers:
- Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of compilers
- Using the strengths to eliminate invariants
- Sharing responsibility with the compiler
In part 2, we look deeper at how to bring the rules and refactoring patterns into the real world. We dive into practices that enable us to take full advantage of the tools now at our disposal and discuss how they came to be as they are.
When we are just learning to program, the compiler can feel like an endless source of nagging and nitpicking. It takes things too literally, it gives no leeway, and it freaks out over even the tiniest slip-ups. But used correctly, the compiler is one of the most important elements of our daily work. Not only does it transform our code from a high-level language to a lower-level one, but it also validates several properties and guarantees that certain errors will not occur when we run our program.
In this chapter, we start getting to know our compiler so we can actively use it and build on its strengths. Similarly, we will learn what it cannot do so we do not build on a weak foundation.
When we are intimately familiar with the compiler, we should make it part of our team by sharing the responsibility for correctness with it, letting it help build the software right. If we fight the compiler or trip it up, we are accepting a higher risk of bugs in the future, usually with minimal benefit.