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Text File | 1994-02-01 | 16KB | 385 lines

compiler/compiler compiler/compiler compiler/COMPILER compiler/COMPILER DICE SYSTEM Matthew Dillon 891 Regal Rd. Berkeley, Ca. 94708 USA dillon@overload.Berkeley.CA.US uunet.uu.net!overload!dillon BIX: mdillon COMPILER FEATURES LIST AND ORGANIZATION NOTE: net distributed releases will not contain commodore includes or amiga*.lib (1) Organization of includes and libraries, default: DINCLUDE: location of top level includes such as stdio.h DINCLUDE:Amiga13/ location of 1.3 amiga includes, -1.3 option must be used with DCC or set in ENV:DCCOPTS DINCLUDE:Amiga20/ location of 2.0 amiga includes, -2.0 option must be used with DCC or set in ENV:DCCOPTS NOTE !!! Amiga 1.3 and 2.0 includes should be placed in the subdirectory dinclude:Amiga13 and dinclude:amiga20, that is, dinclude:Amiga13/Exec/*.h, dinclude:Amiga13/graphics/*.h, etc... DCC references startup and libraries to DLIB: DLIB:amigas13.lib A small-data model version of the 1.3 AMIGA.LIB DLIB:amigas20.lib A small-data model version of the 2.0 AMIGA.LIB DLIB:cs.lib The main C library for which you have source code DLIB:ms.lib The math library DLIB:auto.lib The auto library-open library DLIB:c.o The startup module DLIB:x.o The terminator module (2) (removed) (3) DCC generated link lines If you give DICE the following line (assuming DCCOPTS contains the -1.3 option): 1> DCC foo.o -o foo It will run DLink with the following options: DLink dlib:c.o foo.o dlib:cs.lib dlib:amigas13.lib dlib:auto.lib dlib:x.o -o foo DLIB:C.O DICE startup code FOO.O your object module(s) DLIB:CS.LIB small data model version of c.lib DLIB:AMIGAS13.LIB small data model version of commodore amiga.lib for 1.3 DLIB:AUTO.LIB DICE AUTO.LIB DLIB:X.O DICE section terminator code Some explanation is in order. AUTO.LIB catches any references to common library base variables when no storage has been declared and imports code to automatically open said libraries on startup and close them on exit. DICE uses this feature to import code to open and close "dos.library" when DOSBase is referenced, and also for the floating point libraries. You, the programmer, can use the feature to simply make arbitrary library calls and not have to deal with base variables, openning, or closing libraries in your code. To take advantage of the feature simply do not declare library base variables or open/close the libraries. X.O is used to supply an RTS at the end of the special autoinit and autoexit sections. Any module between C.O and X.O may declare these special sections to handle run-time relocations and other DICE features, and do so such that when the base of the section is JSR'd all the various module's code is sequenced through until the RTS in X.O is hit for the sections in question. (4) SMALL DATA AMIGA.LIB DICE uses a small-data model version of Commodore's AMIGA.LIB to allow it to generate residentable executables (-r option to DCC). The small data amiga.lib, called AMIGAS13.LIB (note the 's') is generated from the large modem amiga.lib with the LIBTOS program. (under 2.0 it's AMIGAS20.LIB) The source to the LIBTOS program is available to allow developers using DICE to add new base variables to LIBTOS's search list when new operating systems come out without having to wait for my update. WARNING!! Commodore screwed up the var-args entry points in the 2.0 amiga.lib, such as CreateNewProcTags(). To ensure that you get tags that work properly, you must remake the 2.0 's' library from the library source archive after installing updates from commodore. The DICE library source overides these var-args tags with ones that work. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPILER FEATURES LIST (0) ANSI. Pretty much ansi. Please report non-ansism problems. Check out the doc/KnownBugs list before reporting a problem. (1) autos are placed in registers based on weighted usage. A0,A1,D0,D1 will be used as register variables whenever possible, which usually reduces the number of registers that must be saved/restored in critical low level routines. The 'register' keyword is essentially ignored but does add some weight to the variable for register selection. If you do not wish a variable to be placed in a register, use the volatile storage qualifier when declaring the variable. (2) LINK/UNLK is removed from low level routines that do not reference A5 and do not make any subroutine calls. (3) MOVEM is converted to MOVE or deleted entirely when possible. (4) Various obvious optimizations: use of BSET, BCLR, BTST as short cuts to logic operations, CMP/TST, etc... (5) Switch() statements are optimized as follows: * if the range of values is less than double the number of cases a lookup table will be used * if a small number of cases exists a sub[q]/beq sequence will be used * for a sufficiently large set of cases that cannot be made into a jump table, a binary subdivision method is used allowing huge switches to be processed very quickly. (6) Branch optimization. Bxx to BRAs are optimized (up to 20 hops) by DAS, and massive optimization is done to multi-level conditionals by the main compiler pass. branches to the next instruction are deleted entirely. (7) Workbench support. The standard startup module supports the workbench. Specifically, the low level _main() in c.o does this. When a program is run from the workbench, a different entry point is called: wbmain(wbmsg) If you do not supply a wbmain() then the one from the c.lib library is used which immediately return(-1)s, exiting the program. The standard return from wbmain() or using exit() or _exit() automatically ReplyMsg()s the workbench message for you, do NOT do so manually. (8) _main() shortcut for extremely low level programs. REFER TO _MAIN.DOC FOR INFORMATION ON USING THE _main() ENTRY POINT INSTEAD OF main(). (9) AutoInit support. You may qualify a subroutine with the __autoinit keyword that will cause it to be automatically called by the startup code rather than having to explicitly call it from main. This feature is more useful to bring code in indirectly. For example, to automatically OpenLibrary() (& CloseLibrary()) floating point libraries if their base variables are referenced. However, it can also be used for independant module initialization. Note that stdio is NOT up and running at this time. Refer to the auto.lib source code for examples. __autoexit works the same way. Note that __autoinit routines are called BEFORE _main, just after autoinit libraries are openned, and __autoexit routines are called in __exit just before autoinit libraries are closed. (10) DCC runs fast. Make everything resident and watch it fly. Most of this speed comes from loading entire files into memory at once. This might present a memory problem, but in general DICE's memory usage is comparable to Lattice and Aztec. (11) CODE SIZE is comparable with Lattice and Aztec, even better in many cases. The minimum program sizes are as follows: _main() { } 448 no stdio/fd main() { } 2736 some stdio main() { printf..} 5492 most of stdio (12) EXTENSIONS , see EXTENSIONS.DOC. DICE provides many extensions to C to support various AMIGAisms and ROM based code, including special treatment of the 'const' storage qualifier. (13) The preprocessor is able to handle arbitrarily sized macros. There are no limits to symbol or macro length. The preprocessor is able to handle up to 64 levels of includes / macro recursions with arbitrary use of the string-ize (#) and token pasting (##) operators. The preprocessor implements the __BASE_FILE__ macro as well as all standard ANSI macros (__FILE__, __LINE__, __DATE__, __TIME__, ...) (14) DICE supports the creation of residentable executables in nearly all cases (exception: using the __geta4 procedure qualifier precludes being able to make an executable resident, also non const __chip data... see EXTENSIONS.DOC) Not only is residentability supported, but it is supported without requiring the programmer to #include all sorts of prototype/pragma files. (15) DICE supports the small-data model, large data model, small and large code models, and special data models (word absolute, absolute known address) for supporting ROMable code. The linker automatically generates JMP tables when the small-code model is used in large executables. (16) REGISTERED user's DICE supports __chip, __near, and __far keywords, as well as many others. (17) Simplified library and startup module design. There are no multiple versions of a single library for different memory models and the frontend, DCC, makes all library and startup module interaction except m.lib invisible. The same c.o handles both resident and non-resident startup. c.lib and m.lib may be used with programs that declare more than 64KBytes of BSS (though not with programs that declare more than 64KBytes of __near initialized storage). There is no large-data-model version of c.lib and m.lib, although you can easily recompile the libraries into a large-data model version if you wish. I suggest that instead of doing that you stick with the small-data model and use the __geta4 type qualifier to procedures which are called out of context. The registered dist contains several source examples for libraries, dos handlers, exec devices, and printer drivers. (18) Optimization of args to prototyped routines -------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOALS In writing DICE my goals are as follows: - reasonably fast compilation. Modular executables for ease of use, reliability, and testability. - concentrate more on reliability and less on optimizations. Remember that this is only the third major distribution of DICE, I expect some bugs to show up. I expect to become more reliable than the two other commercial C compilers in the Amiga market within a year. - but do not forget optimizations... put in relatively easy to implement optimizations that do not destroy the reliability of DICE. DICE does no common sub-expression or loop unrolling optimizations, but does do relatively smart register allocation and multi-level history to propogate conditional expressions. - provide comprehensive support of the Amiga, especially for new versions of the OS that come out. DICE fully supports 1.3 and 2.0 with an easy extension mechanism to allow development on several OS versions / betas simultaniously. - I have always torn my hair out at not being able to easily fix bugs in the support libraries for commercial compilers. DICE includes full source for its support libraries (c.lib, m.lib, auto.lib) and a means to remake the library. DICE also includes full source to some of its own utilities, namely LIBTOS and the DCC frontend which are the most likely candidates for programmer hair loss. While you may NOT distribute any source code to non-registered users, you can fix bugs you find without having to wait for a new release, or add your own features to programs like DCC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COMMENTS Registerized parameteres are now implemented. The implementation turned out to be not all that complex. However, you cannot as yet specify WHICH registers parameters are to be placed for a call. Refer to the -mRR option in DCC.DOC Inline library calls are not implemented. Inline library calls are actually useful and when properly implemented increase efficiency to low level calls such as AddHead() and GetMsg(). Other calls such as Move() and Draw() do not increase noticably in efficiency. #pragma's must be used to define inline calls and this makes the compiler enviroment less portable. Lattice made a big mistake *requiring* the use of inline library calls with residentable programs. My solution was to write a program to convert AMIGA**.LIB into a small-data version of same called AMIGAS**.LIB. DICE still uses tags for library calls, but fully registerized tags are now available to registered users which significantly reduces library call overhead to the point where it's only a few cycles slower than a SAS/C inline call, and without the hassle. Similarly, I have not implemented prototype and amiga-library function array support in the compiler or linker but instead have provided separate programs to aid in this. While less automated than SAS/C, this support is MUCH more portable and, in my opinion, much cleaner, as well as more easily maintained. In general, I refuse to implement a thousand nearly useless features that will only introduce more bugs into the compiler. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COMPATIBILITY ANSI C With structural returns and auto-aggregate is implemented, DICE is now 95% ANSI compliant. Known differences are described in the KNOWNBUGS document. I spent a great deal of time ensuring that STDIO routines run relatively fast. I decided to write nearly all of the support library in C instead of falling back to optimized assembly to keep the system uniform and portable. One does not notice much of a difference between the C strcpy() and an assembly strcpy() relative to the run time of their program. AMIGA As said in feature (7), if you wish your program to be runnable from the workbench you must supply a wbmain() entry point. If you do not then running the program from the workbench will result in its immediate termination (e.g. nothing happens). On return from wbmain() or exit() the workbench message is automatically ReplyMsg()d by the exit code. DICE separates workbench startup and puts it in the hands of the user to simplify the user's code. Since there are two entry points, main() for CLI run programs and wbmain() for WORKBENCH-run programs, the programmer can more easily modularize his code. The Registered release of DICE supports the __near, __far, and __chip keywords. UNBUFFERED CONSOLE IO You may set a console to RAW mode using the setbuf() and setvbuf() calls. You may set a console back to COOKED mode using the same calls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your first program 1> cd examples 1> dcc hello.c -o ram:hello 1> ram:hello hello world 1> Your first residentable program 1> cd examples 1> dcc hello.c -o ram:hello -r 1> ram:hello hello world 1> resident ram:hello 1> hello ; instantanious execution hello world 1> * NOTE, a common problem is that users have removed various floating point libraries from LIBS: and this may prevent DC1 from running. Make sure you have the full complement of floating point libraries in LIBS: Another common problem is related to your PATH... if DCC is unable to run one of the subprograms (DCPP, DC1, DAS, and DLINK) you may not have DCC:BIN in your path. ARP is known to screw things up in this regard and if you are running ARP try de-installing it to see if that was the problem. You cannot use the ARP resident command (ARES) with DICE executables.