4 ms·
Probably it wouldn't work so nice with other compiler. This level of optimization often requires compiler - specific syntax. Not to say Intel optimization is r
by aylons 13y ago
Probably it wouldn't work so nice with other compiler. This level of optimization often requires compiler - specific syntax.
Not to say Intel optimization is really good.
- nanidin 13y agoI was in a parallel programming class where the fastest correct assignments got significant extra credit boosts. Compiling with the intel compiler with optimizations turned on (vs gcc) was often enough to make the difference in getting that extra credit by a significant margin.
- eridius 13y agoYou were graded based on compiled binaries that you provided, and not based on the source? That sounds crazy to me.
- nanidin 13y agoWe provided build scripts and source. The extra credit was for fastest execution time. I assume you're payed based on final results, not based on source. Not so crazy of a concept - whoever delivered the best results got rewarded for it.
- gcb0 13y agoluckily for you your professor did not have an AMD cpu...
- nanidin 13y agoIndeed - we were developing on & evaluated on a homogeneous cluster :)
- eridius 13y agoSure, but if merely switching compilers produced a faster binary, then I would expect all programs to be compiled with the better-optimizing compiler. After all, it doesn't take any particular expertise to adjust the value of CC.
- dpe82 13y agoThere's more to optimization than setting -O3. Learning how various compilers behave and how their optimization features interact with your code are valuable skills and may well have been within the scope of the course. Certainly worthy of extra credit.
- scott_karana 13y agoSure, but why not mandate that everyone tunes the same compiler?...
- mikeash 13y agoI'll flip the question around: why mandate it? The class clearly has a performance component, and so students were expected to learn about optimization. Are they going to learn optimization better or worse if you mandate a single compiler? If merely switching compilers is the best path to performance, is that not a valuable lesson? If switching compilers and doing a bunch of extra work to make the code fast with the new compiler is the best path to performance, have they not learned a great deal?
- scott_karana 13y agoSome compilers aren't generally available. Hypothetically, what if ICC wasn't available freely to educational users, but some of the students had side-jobs where they used it? You can always mandate a large set of compilers, make them all available, and leave it up to the students to determine which is fastest. I think that acheives both the competitive/educational goal and the level playing field goal.
- samspot 13y agoSure, but in most programming classes they want the source so they can compare to others to see who cheated. It's unusual to be graded on the binary.