How to get started with a new backend?

[Christopher Done]

> The trac claims that ghc can compile itself to C so that only standard gnu C tools are needed to build an unregistered compiler.

Wait, it can? Where's that?

On 28 January 2013 02:15, Jason Dagit <dagitj at gmail.com> wrote:
> I would like to explore making a backend for .NET. I've done a lot of
> background reading about previous .NET and JVM attempts for Haskell. It
> seems like several folks have made significant progress in the past and,
> with the exception of UHC, I can't find any code around the internet from
> the previous efforts. I realize that in total it's a huge undertaking and
> codegen is only one of several significant hurdles to success.
>
> I would like to get a very, very, very simple translation working inside
> GHC. If all I can compile and run is fibonacci, then I would be quite happy.
> For my first attempt, proof of concept is sufficient.
>
> I found a lot of good documentation on the ghc trac for how the compilation
> phases work and what happens in the different parts of the backend. The
> documentation is excellent, especially compared to other compilers I've
> looked at.
>
> When I started looking at how to write the code, I started to wonder about
> the "least effort" path to getting something (anything?) working. Here are
> some questions:
>   * Haskell.NET seems to be dead. Does anyone know where their code went?
>   * Did lambdavm also disappear? (JVM I know, but close enough to be useful)
>   * Would it make sense to copy&modify the -fvia-C backend to generate C#?
> The trac claims that ghc can compile itself to C so that only standard gnu C
> tools are needed to build an unregistered compiler. Could I use this trick
> to translate programs to C#?
>   * What stage in the pipeline should I translate from? Core? STG? Cmm?
>   * Which directories/source files should I look at to get familiar with the
> code gen? I've heard the LLVM codegen is relatively simple.
>   * Any other advice?
>
> Thank you in advance!
> Jason
>
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