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If you are still interested in learning more about writing compiler optimizations after reading the Appel book, there are two really fantastic Ph.D. theses:

Olin Shivers, Control Flow Analysis in Scheme

David Tarditi, Design and Implementation of Code Optimizations for a Type-Directed Compiler for Standard ML

The first can be a bit mathematically hairy, particularly if you have either a weak or engineering-focused math background. Fortunately, you can skip it and still get a lot out of both the static analyses and particularly the optimizations listed at the back. There are several he lists that still offer promise and that folks are even now trying to figure out how to implement efficiently (i.e. super-beta).

The second is a wonderful implementation-focused thesis that covers in even more detail than the Appel book how to perform those optimizations on a typed IR. A typed IR is much tougher than an untyped IR because in order to maintain a valid IR can be quite tricky (i.e. if you change a function to take an additional argument, you need to update its type... and everywhere that type occurs, including possible in tuples passed to functions that pass them to other functions, etc.). Further, he includes proofs of correctness that will prepare you for the kinds of things that appear in more modern coverage of compiler optimizations.

Beyond that, getting to specific journal papers, you really can't go wrong just browsing TOPLAS and JFP and looking at particular topics you're interested in. There are some that are, of course, particularly good, but generally the editorial staff on both is just fantastic and you can't go wrong. If you have specific interests, feel free to drop me mail directly for a pointer to a good entry paper in the area.



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