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Re: [patch cygwin]: Replace inline-assembler in string.h by C implementation


On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 04:51:25PM +0200, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
>On Oct 25 10:17, Christopher Faylor wrote:
>> On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 10:48:39AM +0200, Corinna Vinschen wrote:
>> >On Oct 24 18:02, Kai Tietz wrote:
>> >>2012/10/24 Christopher Faylor wrote:
>> >>>On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 11:07:47AM -0400, Ryan Johnson wrote:
>> >>>>On 24/10/2012 5:16 AM, Kai Tietz wrote:
>> >>>>>Hello,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>this patch replaces the inline-assember used in string.h by C
>> >>>>>implementation.  There are three reasons why I want to suggest this.
>> >>>>>First, the C-code might be optimized further by fixed (constant)
>> >>>>>arguments.  Secondly, it is architecture independent and so we just
>> >>>>>need to maintain on code-path.  And as third point, by inspecting
>> >>>>>generated assembly code produced by compiler out of C code vs.
>> >>>>>inline-assembler it shows that compiler produces better code.  It
>> >>>>>handles jump-threading better, and also improves average executed
>> >>>>>instructions.
>> >>>>Devil's advocate: better-looking code isn't always faster code.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>However, I'm surprised that code was inline asm in the first place --
>> >>>>no special instructions or unusual control flow -- and would not be at
>> >>>>all surprised if the compiler does a better job.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>Also, the portability issue is relevant now that cygwin is starting the
>> >>>>move toward 64-bit support.
>> >>>
>> >>>Yes, that's exactly why Kai is proposing this.
>> >>>
>> >>>I haven't looked at the code but I almost always have one response to a
>> >>>"I want to rewrite a standard function" patches:
>> >>>
>> >>>Have you looked at other implementations?  The current one was based on
>> >>>a linux implementation.  A C version of these functions has likely been
>> >>>written before, possibly even in newlib.  Were those considered?
>> >>
>> >>Sure, I have looked up standard-implementation of
>> >>stricmp/strnicmp/strchr as code-base.  We could of course simply use
>> >>C-runtime-funktions here, but well, those wouldn't be inlined.  The
>> >>latter seems to me the only cause why string.h implements them at all.
>> >>They are defined there as 'static inline', which makes them pure
>> >>inlines.
>> >
>> >Right, that's what I forgot entirely in my reply.  From my POV they are
>> >good to go.  Chris?
>> 
>> Ok.  I wonder if newlib should be investigating make some of these inline
>> but that's not something that we have to worry about I guess.
>
>As for strechr, does gcc have an inline implementation of strchrnul, by
>any chance?  Oh, btw., wouldn't it make sense to rename strechr to
>strchrnul inside Cygwin as well?  It's kind of the "right" name for
>the function...

I have no objections to renaming it.

cgf


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