bfc/interpreters/README.adoc

This directory contains several Brainfuck interpreters in various states of sophistication, from the simplest approach to an optimizing JIT compiler:

• bf.c is the stupidest one and the oldest by far

• bf-faster-loops.c precomputes loop jumps

• bf-optimizing.c improves on that by changing [-]+ loops into assignments

• bf-jit.c adds JIT compilation for Intel x86-64

• bf-jit-opt.c tries a bit harder to avoid looping on the current value

• bf-jit-unsafe.c abolishes all boundary checks when moving across the tape

• bf-jit-unsafe-opt.c makes use of immediate offsets to modify values

I recommend using a tool such as meld to view the differences.

Just run make in this directory to have them all built, and append CPPFLAGS=-DDEBUG to get dumps of the IR for the more sophisticated JITs.