[Cbe-oss-dev] IBM XL C/C++ supported on PS3

[Ulrich Weigand]

Hello,

> Is IBM XL C/C++ supported on the PS3?  I am running identical code and
> compiling with both (ppu-gcc & spu-gcc) and IBM XL C/C++.  The ppu-gcc
> and spu-gcc compilation works fine, but with XL C/C++ I get a DMA
> Storage Error.

My understanding is that XLC is not officially supported on the PS3, 
but in general there should be no technical reason why it shouldn't work.
(Assuming we're talking *Linux* on the PS3.)

Behaviour like the one you describe tends to be pre-existing conditions
in the code (e.g. races or undefined behaviour) that just happen to
manifest differently under the two compilers.  It is hard to say anything
more specific without actually seeing the code in question ...
 
> If it is not supported I would like to look into adding optimizations
> into spu-gcc and ppu-gcc for a research project.

In any case, optimizations are always welcome!  The best way to
go about this would be to contribute changes to the mainline FSF
version of GCC, as then they'll find their way into the binary builds
packaged by Linux distributors and others (including our SDK).

What area of optimizations would you be interested in?  More 
platform-specific things like branch hint placements or if-conversion,
or more general enhancements e.g. in the vectorizer / loop-optimizer
areas?


Mit freundlichen Gruessen / Best Regards

Ulrich Weigand

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