Final Report (homework/final exam) Instructions

Here you will do some analysis in a manner less structured than what you've done so far.

You are welcome to use the Web if you wish. This really should not be necessary, but if you use anything from the Web, you must clearly cite it.

Contents:

• IMPORTANT DATES
• project description
• LaTeX writeup
• IMPORTANT SUBMISSION DETAILS
• grading criteria

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Monday, December10, NOON:

If you get me a final or semifinal draft by this time--12 NOON--I will evaluate it right away. If there are any deficiencies, you will have the right to remedy them and then submit a revised version by the regular deadline. If on the other hand your draft is already of A quality, I will treat that as your formal submission.

Though it may be "semifinal," it must "compile" when I run pdflatex and must be complete, in the sense of answering all questions in the Project.

• Wednesday, December 12, 11:59 p.m.:

Your completed report is due. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS!

Project description:

Problem I:

Here you will working with two other architectures, MIPS and the JVM, and doing some other analysis.

• Consider the program PrimesThreads.c from our textbook.
• Run the code through gcc -S on a 32-bit CSIF machine, both with and without optimization.

  Choose three places (try to avoid any of the threads calls) at which the optimized code differs from the non- optimized version, and explain why the optimized code may be faster. Assume the reader is well-familiar with our textbook.

• Read about the two other architectures here.
• Choose three statements from the program (again avoid the threading), and then "compile" them for each of the two architectures, MIPS and JVM. In other words, give assembly code that the compiler might produce from these statements.

  Explain your "compiled" code in detail---how does it work, what features of the architecture does it use, and why you believe your code would be efficient. Assume that the reader is familiar with the above materials.

Problem II:

Write a short essay (say, 500 words), discussing the pros and cons of the proposition:

Software developers in C/C++ should make sure as much as possible that their code is portable across different machines. Mixing some machine-specific assembly language optimizations with C/C++ code is the mark of an unsophisticated programmer.

The essay should explain why machine-specific optimizations might be advantageous, citing a couple of example applications and possible optimizations, but should also explain the drawbacks.

LaTeX Writeup:

• You are REQUIRED to use LaTeX to write up your report. Here is a quick introduction; a few minutes is all you need. Note that our textbook itself is an example, here.

  If you decide to include graphs or other images in your report, make sure that are in either .jpg or .pdf format.

• It is of the utmost importance that your report be of PROFESSIONAL QUALITY. This means:
  • Clarity! This is very difficult, but quite achievable if you work at it. Ask friends not in the class to read it and tell you if it makes sense. Keep in mind that if you do the writeup at the last minute, the biggest casualty will be clarity.
  • Correct spelling, grammar and usage!
  • Professional-quality presentation! It doesn't necessarily have to be fancy, but should not look sloppy.
  • You must include an appendix (use the LaTeX \appendix command), in which you write Include a brief account of "who did what" in this project among the various group members. Not everybody need have done exactly equal work, but something of the nature "Transported a USB key to campus" (as one group wrote about a group member in a report in one class) doesn't count as a contribution. :-)

• There is an exemplar of a top-quality project here (one of many). Not the same project specs, but with some similarity.

IMPORTANT SUBMISSION DETAILS:

• Your group submits just ONE copy of the report.
• Make sure that all partners' names are on the report.
• Submit your report, including all files (.tex, .pdf, etc.) in a .tar file. The prefix must be your e-mail addresses, in alphabetical order, separated by periods, e.g. fchance.jevers.jtinker.tar. (Bonus to the first group that identifies the allusion, by e-mail to me.) Use my handin site on CSIF, directory 50project.

  Make SURE that your .tar file contains no subdirectories.

Grading criteria:

• Technical content of the work.
• Adherence to instructions.
• Professional quality of the work.