Questions about code generation

[richardcavell@xxxxxxxx]

Hi all,

1.  Some microchips have errata that can be corrected with a microcode 
update (eg Intel Core 2 Duo).  Does GCC take these errata into account 
when generating code?  Does GCC assume that the latest microcode update 
is always present?

2.  Some microchips have errata that cannot be fixed (eg Motorola 
68060).  Does GCC take these errata into account?

3.  Can GCC emit single-instruction, multiple-data instructions when 
compiling C/C++ code that uses builtin variable types (eg int, float, 
bool) ?

4.  Does GCC ever check which model or stepping of a processor is being 
used and then provide multiple code pathways, one being more optimised 
or less buggy than the other, where the programmer has not done so 
explicitly, say with operating system calls?

5.  When compiling code for a 32-bit x86 target, how does the speed of 
the generated code compare to that created by Visual C++ from the same 
source?  I know "it depends", but is it generally slower?

TIA,

Richard