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Re: avr port: shifts optimization
- To: jason at cygnus dot com
- Subject: Re: avr port: shifts optimization
- From: Andrew Haley <aph at pasanda dot cygnus dot co dot uk>
- Date: 8 May 2000 10:35:44 -0000
- CC: pfeifer at dbai dot tuwien dot ac dot at, denisc at overta dot ru, gcc-patches at gcc dot gnu dot org
> From: Jason Merrill <jason@cygnus.com>
> Date: 07 May 2000 21:37:34 -0700
>
> >>>>> Gerald Pfeifer <pfeifer@dbai.tuwien.ac.at> writes:
>
> > On Fri, 5 May 2000, Denis Chertykov wrote:
> >> Fri May 5 07:43:50 2000 Denis Chertykov <denisc@overta.ru>
> >>
> >> * config/avr/avr.c (out_shift_with_cnt): Genetare a more optimal
> >> shift cycle for unknown shift count. Also generates dec + brpl.
>
> > This is nitpicking, of course, but "more optimal" is not possible. :-)
>
> > "optimal" is Latin and means "best" (i.e., it is already superlativ),
> > so "more optimal" would mean "better than best".
>
> I disagree. In common English usage, "more optimal" just means "closer to
> optimal".
Perhaps, but in common US parlance people also say "I could care less"
when they actually mean "I couldn't care less." gcc is an
international project, so it makes sense for us to strive for a degree
of clarity and formality that is in excess of common usage, if only
out of sympathy for those who translate our comments with the aid of
a dictionary, one word at a time.
Andrew.