Xref: utzoo comp.lang.fortran:1520 comp.lang.misc:2173 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!enea!sommar From: sommar@enea.se (Erland Sommarskog) Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.misc Subject: Branch frequencies (was Assembly or ....) Message-ID: <4113@enea.se> Date: 27 Nov 88 21:55:11 GMT Organization: ENEA DATA AB, Sweden Lines: 21 Herman Rubin (cik@l.cc.purdue.edu) writes: >There is no provision for input >as to frequency of branches. Should the common condition be the branch >or the rare condition? ... >I think the compilers should be interactive, and >discuss the various possibilities with the programmer. If memory serves right the compiler Rubin wants exists, or at least it has existed. I recall a friend of mine told me that the very first Fortran compiler allowed you to give probabilities of on the IF statements. The compiler then used one of its passes to do a Monte Carlo simulation on the program for optimal optimising. I'm probably wrong on everything, but I'm sure that friendly people will correct me. -- Erland Sommarskog ENEA Data, Stockholm sommar@enea.se "Frequently, unexpected errors are entirely unpredictable" - Digital Equipment