Rewriting the Futhark type checker
Summary
The article discusses the evolution of Futhark's type checker, describing a four-stage layering approach (name resolution, ground-type inference, size inference, and in-place update checks) and the shift from a single-pass checker to a constraint-based, multi-phase design. It also covers the AUTOMAP project, challenges with existential sizes, recursion, and performance considerations, highlighting lessons for language designers and compiler developers.