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From: prakash@clunker.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Complaint about complex architec
Message-ID: <791@clunker.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Apr-87 12:43:18 EST
Article-I.D.: clunker.791
Posted: Fri Apr  3 12:43:18 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Apr-87 03:35:47 EST
References: <6667@brl-adm.ARPA>
Reply-To: prakash@bunkerb.UUCP (David Zink)
Organization: Bunker Ramo, Trumbull Ct
Lines: 42

In article <6667@brl-adm.ARPA> aglew%mycroft@gswd-vms.arpa (Andy Glew) writes:
>>>[bcase @ AMD]:
>>> One of the reasons that simple architectures are better for compilers is
>>> that (nearly) all instructions take the same amount of time and space.
>>> Thus, code generation and optimization are *much* easier.  Also, this
>>> relationship of one time unit/one space unit per instruction is unlikely
>>> to change as a function of CPU version.
>
>>[scott preece @ Gould]:
>>There's no great advantage to simplifying your compiler's job if all
>>that means is that it produces equivalently bad performance on all the
>>machines in your product line.
>
>Bullshit! There's such a thing as dependable performance. With a
>variety of complicated machines in the same family, you really have no
>idea of how good the compiler is. If the machines are simple, you can
>come much closer to an absolute measure of compiler quality.

Such Language!! I think the most relevant way to deal with the disagreement
is to come to some common agreement as to the purpose of an architecture.
To my mind Andy has missed the head of the nail completely and
Scott has struck a barely glancing blow:
	Is the purpose of an architecture to simplify the design and speed
up the operation of compilers??? Or perhaps it should speed up (and maybe
simplify) application programs?

The purpose of a compiler is to produce executable code which acts as described
in the higher level language it compiles.  One purpose of a Code-improver or
code-improving (so-called optimizing) compiler is to take advantage of quirks
in the architecture to somehow improve the code.

For The Record: I think the architecture should be designed primarily with the
goal of improving the performance of APPLICATIONS.

Oh I'm sorry my compiler doesn't work well -- it's the hardware.

-- 
"Once on a road through distant lands,           |David Zink -
	I met a flower with only three names;    | Bunker Ramo/Olivetti,
    Though I never saw her again,                | Shelton, CT - (203)337-1622
	I think often of her tender blossoms.    |
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