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Re: naked switches

From Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com>
Newsgroups comp.lang.c
Subject Re: naked switches
Date 2021-07-09 02:30 +0000
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <20210708133106.869@kylheku.com> (permalink)
References <06a0049a-2d7d-40f0-899a-fb35c9a15d5fn@googlegroups.com> <20210708101340.323@kylheku.com> <QSGFI.7387$qk6.4293@fx36.iad> <20210708105401.685@kylheku.com> <Q7IFI.2749$Ei1.978@fx07.iad>

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On 2021-07-08, Scott Lurndal <scott@slp53.sl.home> wrote:
> Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> writes:
>>On 2021-07-08, Scott Lurndal <scott@slp53.sl.home> wrote:
>>> Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> writes:
>>>>On 2021-07-07, Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I have been working on a C/C++ like compiler. One feature supported in
>>>>> the compiler is naked switches. A naked switch omits the range
>>>>> checking code that is normally associated with the switch statement.
>>>>> Omitting this code can improve performance at the risk of a crash if
>>>>> invalid cases are processed. I am wondering if there is a similar
>>>>> option in other C compilers? Or would this just be an automatic
>>>>> optimization at high levels?
>>>>
>>>>GNU C has the feature that labels can be treated as data; they
>>>>can be stored in variables/objects and used to perform a goto.
>>>
>>> GCC generally generates optimal code sequences for switch
>>> statements;  from simple sequenced branches for small case
>>> counts to jump tables for larger case counts.
>>
>>Elsewhere in the thread, I was not able to coax GCC into eliminating the
>>range test and branch prior to the table switch, even if the default:
>>case of the switch was __builtin_unreachable().
>>
>>Since two instructions can be removed form the code, it must not be
>>optimal.
>
> Do the instructions actually affect performance?  Unlikely, given
> modern branch predictors.

If the branch instruction is deleted, then it doesn't require branch
prediction.

Branch prediction isn't free; it requires a cache of information.
Any time you put something in it, something else gets bumped.

Not emitting the compare and branch instruction also means that the code
sequence is two instructions shorter. That has to save something.

Size matters. Two instructions less means room for two more instructions
from somewhere else to fit into the instruction cache.

-- 
TXR Programming Language: http://nongnu.org/txr
Cygnal: Cygwin Native Application Library: http://kylheku.com/cygnal

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naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-07 16:39 -0700
  Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-08 01:26 +0100
  Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-08 01:57 +0000
    Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-08 09:16 +0200
  Re: naked switches Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 01:00 -0700
    Re: naked switches Malcolm McLean <malcolm.arthur.mclean@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 03:25 -0700
      Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 06:58 -0700
        Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-08 15:52 +0100
        Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-08 17:52 +0200
          Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-08 17:51 +0100
            Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 10:01 +0200
              Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-09 11:09 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 13:14 +0200
                Re: naked switches Manfred <noname@add.invalid> - 2021-07-09 15:35 +0200
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 16:51 +0200
                Re: naked switches Manfred <noname@add.invalid> - 2021-07-09 18:23 +0200
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-09 16:07 +0100
                Re: naked switches Manfred <noname@add.invalid> - 2021-07-09 18:41 +0200
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-10 11:02 +0200
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 19:20 +0200
                Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-09 10:46 -0700
                Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-09 19:56 +0000
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-09 22:01 +0100
                Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-09 15:07 -0700
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-09 23:30 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-10 12:17 +0200
          Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 10:18 -0700
            Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-08 18:43 +0100
              Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 15:32 -0700
            Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-08 17:47 +0000
              Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 15:45 -0700
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 10:27 +0200
                Re: naked switches Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2021-07-09 11:13 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 13:30 +0200
                Re: naked switches Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-07-11 00:39 -0700
                Re: naked switches scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2021-07-11 14:06 +0000
                Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-07-11 08:01 -0700
                Re: naked switches Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-07-16 03:53 -0700
                Re: naked switches scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2021-07-16 14:47 +0000
                Re: naked switches Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-09-30 06:09 -0700
                Re: naked switches Robert Finch <robfi680@gmail.com> - 2021-09-30 07:03 -0700
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-09 13:44 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-10 13:28 +0200
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-10 13:04 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-10 15:39 +0200
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-10 15:08 +0100
                Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-10 17:34 +0200
                Re: naked switches Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2021-07-10 17:47 +0100
              Re: naked switches Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-07-11 00:57 -0700
                Re: naked switches Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2021-07-16 03:51 -0700
        Re: naked switches Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2021-07-08 11:40 -0700
          Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 10:38 +0200
  Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-08 17:33 +0000
    Re: naked switches scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2021-07-08 17:47 +0000
      Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-08 17:58 +0000
        Re: naked switches scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2021-07-08 19:13 +0000
          Re: naked switches Kaz Kylheku <563-365-8930@kylheku.com> - 2021-07-09 02:30 +0000
        Re: naked switches David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-07-09 10:41 +0200
  Re: naked switches Bonita Montero <Bonita.Montero@gmail.com> - 2021-09-30 18:04 +0200

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