Mark Wegman
Global Trends in Flow Analysis
This talk is a retrospective I gave at the 25th POPL on the area of code
optimization but more specifically the kinds of program analysis done using
Static Single Assignment as an intermediate form. The talk is meant to be
accessible to people without detailed knowledge of code optimization but
hopefully will add some insights to those who have studied the field in
depth. I will trace some of the history of the field and the discuss
briefly the impact it has had on the wider computer science community as
well as point to places where I think in the future further exploration
will likely have significant impact. Most of the talk though will discuss
the commonalities and differences in methods of proving properties of
programs using SSA form and the transformations that an optimizing compiler
can make to a program when those properties are discovered.
November 20, 1998
Noon
Wean 4601