Code reuse in an optimizing compiler

This paper describes how the cmcc compiler reuses code - both internally (reuse between different modules) and externally (reuse between versions for different target machines). The key to reuse are the application frameworks developed for global data-flow analysis, code generation, instruction scheduling, and register allocation. The code produced by cmcc is as good as the code produced by the native compilers for the MIPS and SPARC, although significantly less resources have been spent on cmcc (overall, about 6 man years by 2.5 persons). cmcc is implemented in C++, which allowed for a compact expression of the frameworks as class hierarchies. The results support the claim that suitable frameworks facilitate reuse and thereby significantly improve developer effectiveness.