2010-06-30

adda exceptions performance

6.27: web.adda/exceptions/performance:
. I'm wondering how c++ exceptions
were inherently slowing c programs:
the addx vision of exceptions
is that there is always a scheduler
pre-empting functions for multitasking;
and, this scheduler is
gathering all the exceptions in a library;
... but it's not just routines
that handle exceptions:
every sub.block with a routine
can provide a unique handler for an exception;
and, these "(catch blocks) can be nested .
impl' idea#1:
. catch.blocks need to push their address
onto an exception stack;
then after an exception,
the scheduler can look on this exception stack
to the addresses of handlers .
. a program that has no handlers
would have an exception stack with
only one item:
the system's set of handlers .

web: Exceptions performance penalty:
In C++ Programming Language 3rd edition section 14.8
Stroustrup writes that it's possible to
implement exception handling
in such a way that there is
no run time overhead
when no exception is thrown
-- but it's not easy .
There is generally some overhead
as we have to keep track of the local objects
whose constructors have run,
so when exception is thrown
their destructors are called.
see Scott Meyer's "More effective C++" .

. g++ creates exception tables.
From the value of program counter
you can know which function/scope you're in.
For each scope you then know
which destructors have to be called
and using the stack address
you delete the apropriate objects.

We suppose that you can get
{ __builtin_return_address (LEVEL)
, __builtin_frame_address (LEVEL)
} for the ESP and EPC
of the caller of level LEVEL.

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