Program optimization - theory and practice

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Abstract
The conventional program optimization techniques employed by the ILLIAC FORTRAN compiler are general purpose, effective, and efficient. The underlying theory is applicable to FORTRAN and to other high level languages. A unique approach to the gathering of global set and use information about variables as well as careful software engineering of the algorithms has led to the construction of an effective source-to-source optimizer which performs constant propagation, constant computation, common subexpression elimination, reduction in strength, and invariant code motion. We will first consider the type of information which must be gathered about a program, and how this information is used to perform optimization. Then we shall state the algorithm for globally computing the set and use information for program variables. Having discussed the science of optimization we shall turn to the engineering aspects and consider such topics as representation of programs, order of optimization transformations, and efficient computation of global use and set information.

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