[ComputerGuru]

I do want to say that I think the Itanic would have fared way, way better in a post-LLVM world where the importance of smart, optimizing compilers is much more valued and understood and language designers actively work hand-in-hand with compiler devs far more often (with much more significant back-and-forth from hardware manufacturers).

[gpderetta]

I don't think LLVM is particularly good at optimizing VLIW code.

Very good optimizing compilers existed before LLVM. Intel had one specifically for Itanium. It wasn't enough.

[ComputerGuru]

Why would llvm be particularly good at optimizing vliw code when there’s no demand for it to be? You can’t believe everything else would remain the same in the hypothetical I posed.

[gpderetta]

A) optimizing for VLIW is hard. B) the null hypothesis would be no change.