Is "register" generally ignored?

For several years, I have assumed that optimizing compilers for C and
C++ routinely ignored programmer use of the "register" keyword,
preferring instead to apply graph coloring or related algorithms to
determine "optimal" register allocation (where "optimal" means "almost
certainly at least as good as the programmer would do themselves and
probably better"). I figured it was time to check this assumption by
at least asking other people who probably know more than I. Hence
this message. Is it reasonable to assume that contemporary C and C++
compilers will ignore use of "register" when generating optimized
code?


Thanks,


Scott


PS - I'm talking here only about the effect of "register" on generated
code. I know that declaring a variable "register" imposes front end
restrictions, such as not being able to take the variable's address, but I
don't care about front end issues.


--
Check out the *new* "THE C++ Seminar,"
http://www.gotw.ca/cpp_seminar/
[I hope that compilers at least remember that register variables don't
have addresses, so there's no aliasing problems. -John]

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