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Intel C/C++ Compiler 8.0 Released

Posted by timothy on from the compatibility-rocks dept.

Peorth writes "Intel has released version 8.0 of their Intel C/C++ compiler for both Windows and Linux. This release has been rumored for a long time to contain 100% GCC source and binary compatibility. It seems great strides have been made in advancement of that goal, as well as of its performance, but it may have a long way to go yet. Has anyone had experiences with it yet, either good or bad?"

4 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. kernel by portscan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My first thought was, "does this mean it can finally compile the Linux kernel?" But the website says "with a few kernel modifications, [icc] can build the kernel." Since gcc can compile it without modifications, doesn't this mean they are not 100% compatible? Also, there is no link to these patches anywhere, just this article on icc 7. Do you have to figure out the problems and fix them yourself?

    Obviously there is other software to compile besides the Linux kernel, but since the icc is so tuned to the Intel hardware, and Linux interacts so directly with the hardware, people believe that icc would give great benefits to the kernel. At the very least, nothing can claim 100% gcc compatibility unless it can compile Linux unmodified.

    1. Re:kernel by jarek · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To tell the truth, not even all gcc versions are compatible with the specific version of gcc that is currently supposed to compile the kernel. Gcc compatibility is a moving target and kernel developers do not switch to the latest gcc version as soon as it appears. Examples of this are kgcc vs gcc in some distributions. Unless icc becomes the official compiler for the linux kernel, I doubt it will ever compile the kernel in a predictable way (what ever predictable means in this case). /jarek

  2. Re:What's the big deal? by stevesliva · · Score: 5, Funny
    Overall, it's probably not worth using unless you really need a compiler that generates fast code.
    Yeah! Who needs fast code anyways?? Real C coders use only "#pragma I'll do it my goddamn self!" statements and asm{} blocks! Real men don't need any stinkin' optimizing compilers other than their own beautiful minds.
    --
    Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
  3. processor dispatch by DAldredge · · Score: 5, Informative

    Processor dispatch allows the compiler to generate multiple optimized code paths and dynamicaly select which optimized version of the routine to use based on the processor that the program is running on. This allows a single executiple to run with SSE/SSE2 support on the P4 and still run on processors that do not support SSE/SS2.

    I do not know what happens when the app is ran on AMD processors that support SSE/SSE2.