Code selection through object code optimization
Jack W. Davidson, Christopher W. Fraser · ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems · 1984
This paper shows how thorough object code optimization has simplified a compiler and made it easy to retarget.The code generator forgoes case analysis and emits naive code that is improved by a retargetable object code optimizer.With this technique, cross-compilers have been built for seven machines, some in as few as three person days.These cross-compilers emit code comparable to hostspecific compilers.