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diff --git a/appendixa/bison-desc.sgml b/appendixa/bison-desc.sgml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..7e3fff7e9 --- /dev/null +++ b/appendixa/bison-desc.sgml @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +<sect2> +<title>Contents</title> + +<para> +The Bison package contains the bison program. +</para> + +</sect2> + +<sect2><title>Description</title> + +<para> +Bison is a parser generator, a replacement for YACC. YACC stands for Yet +Another Compiler Compiler. What is Bison then? It is a program that +generates a program that analyses the structure of a textfile. Instead +of +writing the actual program you specify how things should be connected +and with +those rules a program is constructed that analyses the textfile. +</para> + +<para> +There are alot of examples where structure is needed and one of them is +the +calculator. +</para> + +<para> +Given the string : +</para> + +<blockquote><literallayout> + 1 + 2 * 3 +</literallayout></blockquote> + +<para> +You can easily come to the result 7. Why ? Because of the structure. You +know +how to interpretet the string. The computer doesn't know that and Bison +is a +tool to help it understand by presenting the string in the following way +to the compiler: +</para> + +<blockquote><literallayout> + + + + / \ + * 1 + / \ + 2 3 +</literallayout></blockquote> + +<para> +You start at the bottom of a tree and you come across the numbers 2 and +3 which are joined by the multiplication symbol, so the computers +multiplies 2 and 3. The result of that multiplication is remembered and +the next thing that the computer sees is the result of 2*3 and the +number 1 which are joined by the add symbol. Adding 1 to the previous +result makes 7. In calculating the most complex calculations can be +broken down in this tree format and the computer just starts at the +bottom and works it's way up to the top and comes with the correct +answer. Of course, Bison isn't only used for calculators alone. +</para> + +</sect2> + |