Re: Requirements for Just-in-time Compilation

Hi,


> Since speed of compilation is an issue, should the compiler also do
> machine code generation?


Yes, an external assembler pass would be too slow. Is anyone using the
New Jersey Machine-Code Toolkit as part of a JIT or dynarec?


        http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~nr/toolkit/


> Also, is making such a compiler retargetable a lofty goal? It seems
> to me that supporting multiple architectures would require making
> extra passes, and would slow things down.


Why extra passes? A different backend would be used per architecture,
no?


> I've been reading papers and source code, but I still feel that I am
> lacking a clear understanding of the real issues involved in writing
> such a compiler.


Some more for you to read could be found at www.dynarec.com. They're
interested in dynamic re-compilation where machine instructions from
one architecture are converted on the fly to another. Sometimes an
intermediate format is used.


Ralph.

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