Re: [boost] Support for Cell processor

Subject: Re: [boost] Support for Cell processor
From: Stefan Seefeld (seefeld_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-10-13 18:16:53

Joel Falcou wrote:
> Several boost libraries compile without any problem on the cell BE 
> processor in PPU and SPU mode like most of the preprocessor or 
> meta-programming one.
>
> However, it's impossible to use any C++ code that include *any* part 
> of std cause it makes the resulting binary too big for the spu linker.
> For some boost libraries, the std include is merely used for some 
> optionnal display. For others, large parts of functionnalities is made 
> useless.
>
> As I've been toying with this architecture for quite a bit now, I'm on 
> the verge to patch my local boost with a way to detect compilation on
> Cell SPU and to remove inadequate include from some libraries.

While I very much agree with the goal of this proposal, I also believe 
that boost is, for the most part, unsuitable for serious SPU code. I 
have been writing Cell algorithms (mixed PPU and SPU) for the last year 
and a half, and code-size was a serious issue. While we have been using 
C++ on the SPU side, too, we were extremely careful not only not to use 
the standard library, but also about whether to use templates, and 
template instances.

FWIW,
       Stefan

-- 
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