Re: Have we become too Intel x64 centered?

From: Niall Douglas (s_sourceforge_at_[hidden])
Date: 2021-01-25 21:36:00

On 25/01/2021 20:44, Edward Diener via Boost wrote:

> I offer all this up 
> as a possibly valid reason why testing a Boost library on some other 
> platform/architecture, other than the usual Intel x64 on 
> Mac/Linux/Windows, is not going to be a big priority for any Boost 
> library developer/maintainer.

I would take the view that over half of all computing devices where C++ 
is likely to run are ARM or AArch64.

Therefore one ought to be targeting one's code at those preferentially 
to other architectures.

You're right that for high level libraries, C++ is generally very 
portable. But for low level libraries, and any high level libraries 
which depend on those low level libraries, there can be some _very_ 
nasty surprises e.g. ARM does not implement all of IEEE 754, and ARM is 
strict about use of acquire-release atomics as well as alignment in a 
way x64 is not.

Therefore, in my opinion, if your code works well on ARM, it's very 
likely to work on x64. But the reverse is not true.

Niall