Backend port: Minimizing register usage in favor of memory accesses

[xyzzy@hotpop.com]

On Wednesday 31 March 2004 11:43, Richard Earnshaw wrote:
> > The goal of an optimizing compiler is to produce the fastest code for
> > the target.
>
> Not necessarily.  The goal of an optimizing compiler is to minimize some
> cost metric.  Sometimes that cost metric is the same as 'target execution
> time' at other times it is something else, such as 'code size'.  Many of
> the specific optimizations performed will be same regardless of the
> overall cost metric being worked on; but not always.
>
> R.
Yes, my mistake... I meant to say "the BEST code for the target", which is 
horribly subjective.