Compilers: Principles and Practice

9.7 Code Optimization

An optimizing compiler tries to generate the target code which a good assembly language programmer, intimately knowledgeable about the target processor, would have written. In this process, the optimizer replaces some naïve programming constructs used by the High Level language programmer, by more efficient target code sequences, at the same time maintaining the semantics of the source code. Then what is the real issue? The point is: an optimizing compiler will also provide a similar optimization across the different processor architectures. We want portability and optimized code at the same time . If a good assembly language programmer had to write a similar code for different processor architectures, he/she will have to ...