Why study Compiler Construction?

There are very few people who will write compilers for a living, so why bother?

• A competent computer professional knows about high-level programming and hardware.
• A compiler connects the two.
• Therefore, understanding compilation techniques is essential for understanding how programming languages and computers hang together.
• Many applications contain little languages for customization and flexible control
  • Word macros, layout descriptions, document descriptions
• Compiler techniques are needed to properly design and implement these extension languages