Abstract
Using an intermediate language is a well-known, effective technique for constructing interpreters and compilers. This paper describes a retargetable, optimizing compilation system centered around the use of two intermediate languages (IL): one relatively high level, the other a low level corresponding to target machine instructions. The high-level IL (HIL) models a stack-based, hypothetical RISC machine. The low-level IL (LIL) models target machines at the instruction-set architecture level. All code improvements are applied to the LIL representation of a program. This is motivated by the observation that most optimizations are machine dependent, and the few that are truly machine independent interact with the machine-dependent ones. This paper describes several ‘machine-independent’ code improvements and shows that they are actually machine dependent. To illustrate how code improvements can be applied to a LIL, an algorithm for induction variable elimination is presented. It is demonstrated that this algorithm yields better code than traditional implementations that are applied machine-independently to a high-level representation.
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Benitez, M.E., Davidson, J.W. (1994). The advantages of machine-dependent global optimization. In: Gutknecht, J. (eds) Programming Languages and System Architectures. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 782. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57840-4_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57840-4_27
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