Re: Processor specific optimisations

"R. L. Watkins" <RLWatkins@CompuServe.Com>
24 Jan 2002 15:04:34 -0500

          From comp.compilers

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[2 earlier articles]
Re: Processor specific optimisations dave@cyclicode.net (Dave Hudson) (2002-01-18)
Re: Processor specific optimisations rickh@capaccess.org (2002-01-18)
Re: Processor specific optimisations usenet@gehre.org (2002-01-18)
Re: Processor specific optimisations walter@bytecraft.com (Walter Banks) (2002-01-24)
Re: Processor specific optimisations jgd@cix.co.uk (2002-01-24)
Re: Processor specific optimisations thp@cs.ucr.edu (2002-01-24)
Re: Processor specific optimisations RLWatkins@CompuServe.Com (R. L. Watkins) (2002-01-24)
Re: Processor specific optimisations mpointie@eden-studios.fr (Mickaël Pointier) (2002-01-28)
Re: Processor specific optimisations rickh@capaccess.org (2002-01-28)
Re: Processor specific optimisations mpointie@eden-studios.fr (Mickaël Pointier) (2002-01-30)
Re: Processor specific optimisations Ulrich.Teichert@gmx.de (2002-01-30)
Re: Processor specific optimisations perle@cs.tu-berlin.de (2002-01-30)
Re: Processor specific optimisations mpointie@eden-studios.fr (Mickaël Pointier) (2002-02-06)
[2 later articles]
| List of all articles for this month |

From: "R. L. Watkins" <RLWatkins@CompuServe.Com>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: 24 Jan 2002 15:04:34 -0500
Organization: Compilers Central
References: 02-01-077
Keywords: optimize
Posted-Date: 24 Jan 2002 15:04:34 EST

The short answer is "No".


Too many of the hand-optimizations done by assembly language programmers
(e.g. wraparound/overflow tricks) depend on information about the intent of
the design of which the compiler itself is ignorant.


An optimizing compiler will never accomplish such things until it can carry
on a dialog with the programmer about these matters without inundating the
programmer by rote with every possible question, at which point it will
become not a compiler but an automated assembly language programmer.


BTW, a humorous story about the lengths to which bare metal programmers will
go can be found at:


http://www.linuxguruz.org/foldoc/foldoc.php?query=the+story+of+mel&action=Se
arch




----- Original Message -----
From: "Mickaël Pointier" <mpointie@eden-studios.fr>




> So, the question finaly is: Is it possible to apply the modern
> compiler optimisation strategies to this old processor and have a
> result that an experimented 6502 assembly coder would have a hard time
> to beat ?


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