The default optimization level for compiling C programs using GCC is
-O0. which turns off all optimizations according to GCC documentation.
for example:
gcc -O0 test.c
However, to check if -O0 is really turning off all optimizations. I
executed this command:
gcc -Q -O0 --help=optimizers
And here, I was a bit surprised. I got around 50 options enabled.
Then, I checked the default arguments passed to gcc using this:
gcc -v
I got this:
Using built-in specs.
COLLECT_GCC=gcc
COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/4.8/lto-wrapper
Target: x86_64-linux-gnu
Configured with: ../src/configure -v --with-pkgversion='Ubuntu 4.8.4-
2ubuntu1~14.04' --with-bugurl=file:///usr/share/doc/gcc-4.8/README.Bugs --
enable-languages=c,c++,java,go,d,fortran,objc,obj-c++ --prefix=/usr --
program-suffix=-4.8 --enable-shared --enable-linker-build-id --
libexecdir=/usr/lib --without-included-gettext --enable-threads=posix --with-
gxx-include-dir=/usr/include/c++/4.8 --libdir=/usr/lib --enable-nls --with-
sysroot=/ --enable-clocale=gnu --enable-libstdcxx-debug --enable-libstdcxx-
time=yes --enable-gnu-unique-object --disable-libmudflap --enable-plugin --
with-system-zlib --disable-browser-plugin --enable-java-awt=gtk --enable-gtk-
cairo --with-java-home=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-gcj-4.8-amd64/jre --enable-
java-home --with-jvm-root-dir=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-gcj-4.8-amd64 --with-
jvm-jar-dir=/usr/lib/jvm-exports/java-1.5.0-gcj-4.8-amd64 --with-arch-
directory=amd64 --with-ecj-jar=/usr/share/java/eclipse-ecj.jar --enable-objc-
gc --enable-multiarch --disable-werror --with-arch-32=i686 --with-abi=m64 --
with-multilib-list=m32,m64,mx32 --with-tune=generic --enable-checking=release
--build=x86_64-linux-gnu --host=x86_64-linux-gnu --target=x86_64-linux-gnu
Thread model: posix
gcc version 4.8.4 (Ubuntu 4.8.4-2ubuntu1~14.04)
I am seeking to implement from scratch a tool that generates random
sequences of optimization options and compare generated sequences to
default levels O0-3. Just like "acovea". So that, I would like to
compare my generated sequences to a zero-optimization level (which
should be O0)
Can you explain to me why 50 options are enabled by default in -O0?
One idea I have in mind is to compile with O0 + turn off default
optimizations in O0 using "-fno-OPTIMIZATION_NAME" 50 times. What do
you think?
