Limitations of the 64-bit ABI

Limitations of the 64-bit ABI

Although the 64-bit ABI exploits many performance-related features of the MIPS architecture, it also has issues that make using it problematical. These issues include the following:

Many ISVs have been unable to port their code from the 32-bit ABI to the 64-bit ABI. This is not a simple port; in fact, it usually requires redesign and recoding.
When ported from the 32-bit ABI to the 64-bit ABI, some C programs get significantly larger.