The simplest heuristics may be the best in Java JIT compilers

  • Authors:
  • Jonathan L. Schilling

  • Affiliations:
  • Caldera International, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ

  • Venue:
  • ACM SIGPLAN Notices
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

The simplest strategy in Java just-in-time (JIT) compilers is to compile each Java method the first time it is called. However, better performance can often be obtained by selectively compiling methods based on heuristics of how often they are likely to be called during the rest of the program's execution. Various heuristics are examined when used as part of the Caldera UNIX Java JIT compiler. The simplest heuristics involving the number of times the method has executed so far and the size of the method prove to be the most effective, with more complicated heuristics not providing much or any additional benefit.