Coding Practices which enable the compiler/optimizer to make a faster program

Question

Many years ago, C compilers were not particularly smart. As a workaround K&R invented the register keyword, to hint to the compiler, that maybe it woul

Answer 1

You're getting good answers here, but they assume your program is pretty close to optimal to begin with, and you say

Assume that the program has been written correctly, compiled with full optimization, tested and put into production.

In my experience, a program may be written correctly, but that does not mean it is near optimal. It takes extra work to get to that point.

If I can give an example, this answer shows how a perfectly reasonable-looking program was made over 40 times faster by macro-optimization. Big speedups can't be done in every program as first written, but in many (except for very small programs), it can, in my experience.

After that is done, micro-optimization (of the hot-spots) can give you a good payoff.