Yes, it is pretty hard - but the upside is that given a given architecture
that you know well, you can sometimes optimize routines up to a factor of
400 of an already optimized (data and code optimization) routine. In fact,
that I can do this is specifically why my company hires me... As a matter of
fact, the ocaml programs I've written are all tools to aid me in the process
of optimizing for the current architecture. I wouldn't ever dream of ocaml
being able to do something similar, but it does strike me that it is
possible to be able to put some low-level stuff into ocaml itself. Or
perhaps I am mistaken?

PKE.


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-caml-list@pauillac.inria.fr
[mailto:owner-caml-list@pauillac.inria.fr]On Behalf Of
achrist@easystreet.com
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 11:41 AM
Cc: Caml-List@Inria.Fr
Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Caml productivity.

Pal-Kristian Engstad wrote:
>
> ... I want to have the capability to make
> the code even better. To do that, one needs to be able to make use of
> the hardware, i.e. get down to the bare bones of your platform.
> ...

Isn't this fairly impossible for an applications programmer programming
the popular modern computers?  Don't these machines implement their
features through low-level virtual machines?  Re-order and rewrite
instructions?  Speculatively branch?  Execute sequential instructions
in parallel? Have hierarchical memory caches that they manage
themselves,
impervious to the desires of the programmer?  Etc, etc, etc?


Al
-------------------
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr Archives:
http://caml.inria.fr
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs FAQ:
http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
Beginner's list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocaml_beginners

-------------------
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr Archives: http://caml.inria.fr
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
Beginner's list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocaml_beginners