> When I started a new [[https://www.cs.cornell.edu/courses/cs6120/2023fa/ | PhD-level compilers course]] a few years ago,
> I thought it was important to use a “hands-on” structure.
> There is a big difference between understanding an algorithm on a whiteboard and implementing it, inevitably running into bugs when your implementation encounters real programs.
> At the same time, I wanted students to get started quickly, without learning the overwhelming APIs that come with industrial-strength compilers.
> 
> I created [[https://capra.cs.cornell.edu/bril/ | Bril]], the Big Red Intermediate Language, to support the class’s implementation projects.
> Bril isn’t very interesting from a compiler engineering perspective, but
> I think it’s pretty good for the specific use case of teaching compilers classes.
> Here’s a factorial program: