The chapter discusses the evolution of syntactic processing in computational linguistics, starting from early systems based on dictionaries and machine code to more sophisticated approaches. Initially, systems were criticized for their lack of maintainability and the complexity of unrestricted machine code. The shift towards more structured and rule-based systems, driven by the power of nondeterministic algorithms and the influence of syntactic theories, led to the development of formalisms like Augmented Transition Networks (ATNs). These formalisms allowed for more controlled and linguistically motivated operations, reducing the risks associated with complex control structures. The trend has now shifted back to a more distributed approach, where the responsibility for syntactic analysis is shared among the lexicon, semantic components, and cognitive or strategic elements. This new approach emphasizes the importance of a common data structure and flexible scheduling, breaking down traditional boundaries between morphological, syntactic, and semantic processes. The chapter also highlights the growing role of the lexicon in linguistic theory and the need for interrelated components at different levels of analysis.The chapter discusses the evolution of syntactic processing in computational linguistics, starting from early systems based on dictionaries and machine code to more sophisticated approaches. Initially, systems were criticized for their lack of maintainability and the complexity of unrestricted machine code. The shift towards more structured and rule-based systems, driven by the power of nondeterministic algorithms and the influence of syntactic theories, led to the development of formalisms like Augmented Transition Networks (ATNs). These formalisms allowed for more controlled and linguistically motivated operations, reducing the risks associated with complex control structures. The trend has now shifted back to a more distributed approach, where the responsibility for syntactic analysis is shared among the lexicon, semantic components, and cognitive or strategic elements. This new approach emphasizes the importance of a common data structure and flexible scheduling, breaking down traditional boundaries between morphological, syntactic, and semantic processes. The chapter also highlights the growing role of the lexicon in linguistic theory and the need for interrelated components at different levels of analysis.