From: falis@ma.aonix.com (Ed Falis)
Subject: Re: Compiler for Z80/6510
Date: 1999/11/26
Date: 1999-11-26T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <1103_943587334@DZOG-CHEN> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 383DC86C.19A6F176@australia.boeing.com
On Thu, 25 Nov 1999 23:38:20 GMT, Peter Milliken <peter.milliken@australia.boeing.com> wrote:
> Would you care to comment then on the paper written by Lawlis and Elam
> which was published in Tri-Ada '92 titled "Ada Outperforms Assembly: A
> Case Study" where, in point 6, they draw conclusions such as: compiler
> optimisation has reached such a state of the art that it can implement
> "hundreds of heuristics from a library of knowledge in this area of
> technology" and generate code which can "beat assembly code in both size
> and performance"?
>
> I am curious, on the one hand we have this paper (advertised in the Ada
> Home page) and on the other hand, experienced compiler writers such as
> yourself. These statements seem to contradict each other. I do not have
> any experience in compiler writing but I have been prepared to accept
> the paper at it's face value (having no way to confirm or deny :-)). Did
> Lawlis and Elam get it wrong? Were they correct for their particular
> circumstances and environment? I have shown the paper to non Ada
> software engineers and received various responses, the worst being open
> ridicule and statements that the paper must be a pure fabrication.
>
> Thanks
> Peter
My take on it, having been involved in Ada compilers for a long time, is
that an optimizing compiler can do well compared to the average programmer,
turned to assembly language. But, a good assembly programmer for a given
architecture can do better. This isn't rocket science - human intelligence generally
beats what we can simulate with machines.
- Ed
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-11-26 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 50+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1999-11-24 0:00 Compiler for Z80/6510 Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-24 0:00 ` Wil
1999-11-25 0:00 ` Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-25 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-25 0:00 ` Peter Milliken
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Ed Falis [this message]
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
1999-11-27 0:00 ` Florian Weimer
1999-11-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <01bf38cb$be9b2b60$022a6282@dieppe>
1999-11-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-28 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-30 0:00 ` Pascal Obry
1999-12-06 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-12-01 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-02 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-12-02 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-03 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-12-03 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-12-13 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-13 0:00 ` carr_tom
1999-12-17 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-19 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-12-21 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-12-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-12-23 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Vladimir Olensky
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-26 0:00 ` Vladimir Olensky
1999-11-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-28 0:00 ` Vladimir Olensky
1999-11-24 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1999-11-24 0:00 ` Frank Klemm
1999-11-24 0:00 ` Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Marin Condic
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Marin Condic
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Mike Silva
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Marin Condic
1999-11-29 0:00 ` John Duncan
1999-11-30 0:00 ` Lutz Donnerhacke
1999-11-29 0:00 ` Mike Silva
1999-11-30 0:00 ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-12-01 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
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