View source for To Thumb or Not to Thumb

== Project Name ==

To Thumb? or Not to Thumb?

== Project Description ==

Fedora-ARM does not use thumb. The purpose of this project is to discover whether thumb provides any significant savings in terms of code size, whether programs compiled to thumb execute more quickly or more slowly than non-thumb programs on common ARM processors, whether a thumb compilation takes more or less time than non-thumb, and whether there are any other factors that would influence the decision to support thumb. Ultimately, this project should make a recommendation on the use of the thumb instruction set for the Fedora-ARM secondary architecture.

== Project Leader(s) ==

I will be working alone for this project.

My name is Tae Hee (Tyler) Lee and I'm taking SBR600 course in 2010 Winter Semester.

Blog @ [[http://tyler-taehee-lee.blogspot.com/]]

thlee3 @ FAS2

thlee3 @ irc://irc.mozilla.org/seneca

Tyler.lee @ Open Source Seneca Wiki

thlee3@learn.senecac.on.ca

== What I need to learn ==

 - rpmbuild
 - /usr/lib/rpm/redhat/rpmrc
 - /usr/lib/rpm/redhat/macros
 - time
 - screen
 - yumdownloader
 - rpm2cpio

== Project Plan ==

Goals for each release:
* 0.1 Determine whether THUMB gives advantage in file size compared to NON-THUMB.
* 0.2 Compare and contrast file sizes between NON-THUMB, THUMB and THUMB2.
* 0.3 Compare the performance of software compiled with THUMB and NON-THUMB

== Test results ==

<div>nled-2.52</div><div>Produced RPM: '''nled-2.52-6.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 2 directories, 1 file</div><div>Binary File: '''usr/bin/nled'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 20776
| align="right" | 20204
| align="right" | 20328
| align="right" | 0.9724
| align="right" | 0.9939
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 50892
| align="right" | 43084
| align="right" | 42684
| align="right" | 0.8465
| align="right" | 1.0093
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 38604
| align="right" | 30796
| align="right" | 30396
| align="right" | 0.7977
| align="right" | 1.0131
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>wget-1.11.4</div><div>Produced RPM: '''wget-1.11.4-5.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 86 directories, 48 files</div><div>Binary File: '''usr/bin/wget'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 422360
| align="right" | 420788
| align="right" | 419852
| align="right" | 0.9962
| align="right" | 1.0022
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 1863679
| align="right" | 1811467
| align="right" | 1810431
| align="right" | 0.9719
| align="right" | 1.0006
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 226464
| align="right" | 174252
| align="right" | 173216
| align="right" | 0.7694
| align="right" | 1.0060
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>httpd-2.2.13</div><div>Produced RPM: '''httpd-2.2.13-4.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 37 directories, 334 files</div><div>Binary File: '''usr/sbin/httpd'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 748180
| align="right" | 738632
| align="right" | 736500
| align="right" | 0.9872
| align="right" | 1.0029
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 2752985
| align="right" | 2425373
| align="right" | 2408025
| align="right" | 0.8810
| align="right" | 1.0072
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 287988
| align="right" | 233660
| align="right" | 229712
| align="right" | 0.8113
| align="right" | 1.0172
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>gimp-2.6.7</div><div>Produced RPM: '''gimp-2.6.7-2.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 206 directories, 1204 files</div><div>Binary File 1: '''usr/bin/gimp-2.6'''</div><div>Binary File 2: '''usr/bin/gimp-console-2.6'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 12423104
| align="right" | 12431184
| align="right" | 12350600
| align="right" | 1.0006
| align="right" | 1.0065
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 45780103
| align="right" | 43891439
| align="right" | 43730427
| align="right" | 0.9587
| align="right" | 1.0037
|-
| '''Binary 1'''
| align="right" | 4284848
| align="right" | 3450936
| align="right" | 3371440
| align="right" | 0.8054
| align="right" | 1.0236
|-
| '''Binary 2'''
| align="right" | 2131228
| align="right" | 1688860
| align="right" | 1656092
| align="right" | 0.7924
| align="right" | 1.0198
|}

<div>abiword-2.8.1</div><div>Produced RPM: '''libabiword-2.8.1-1.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 39 directories, 617 files</div><div>Binary File: '''usr/lib/libabiword-2.8'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 5561088
| align="right" | 4779800
| align="right" | 4742828
| align="right" | 0.8595
| align="right" | 1.0078
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 21295155
| align="right" | 17055836
| align="right" | 16987340
| align="right" | 0.8009
| align="right" | 1.0040
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 5806908
| align="right" | 3450936
| align="right" | 3371440
| align="right" | 0.5943
| align="right" | 1.0236
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>tar-1.22</div><div>Produced RPM: '''tar-1.22-8.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 79 directories, 49 files</div><div>Binary File: '''bin/tar'''</div><div>
</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB2'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / THUMB2'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 744340
| align="right" | 742784
| align="right" | 742180
| align="right" | 0.9979
| align="right" | 1.0008
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 2737195
| align="right" | 2681159
| align="right" | 2675975
| align="right" | 0.9795
| align="right" | 1.0019
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 251844
| align="right" | 195808
| align="right" | 190624
| align="right" | 0.7775
| align="right" | 1.0272
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>cpio-2.10</div><div>Produced RPM: '''cpio-2.10-5.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 49 directories, 30 files</div><div>Binary File: '''bin/cpio'''</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 189908
| align="right" | 189276
| align="right" | 0.9967
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 842194
| align="right" | 816194
| align="right" | 0.9691
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 117064
| align="right" | 91064
| align="right" | 0.7779
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>gzip-1.3.12</div><div>Produced RPM: '''gzip-1.3.12-15.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 9 directories, 33 files</div><div>Binary File: '''bin/gzip'''</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 116560
| align="right" | 115736
| align="right" | 0.9929
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 263922
| align="right" | 252086
| align="right" | 0.9551
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 61708
| align="right" | 49872
| align="right" | 0.8082
|}

<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>bzip2-1.0.5</div><div>Produced RPM: '''bzip2-1.0.5-6.fc12.armv5tel.rpm'''</div><div>Directories and files: 7 directories, 21 files</div><div>Binary File: '''/usr/bin/bzip2'''</div>

{| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1"
|-
|
| align="center" | '''w/o Thumb'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB'''
| align="center" | '''THUMB / NON-THUMB'''
|-
| '''RPM'''
| align="right" | 49476
| align="right" | 49232
| align="right" | 0.9951
|-
| '''Directory'''
| align="right" | 109233
| align="right" | 103449
| align="right" | 0.9470
|-
| '''Binary'''
| align="right" | 33024
| align="right" | 28076
| align="right" | 0.8502
|}









From a test performed on 2011-11-12 by CTyler:

 ........ -O2.. -g... -g stripped
 nonthumb 48576 98132 37900
 thumb... 40563 93107 29932

== Project Details ==

To be added.

== Project News ==

October 8th, 2010 - Project started

October 14th, 2010 - Major project page update with more information.

== Resources ==

ARM Architecture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture#Thumb

Introduction to ARM thumb - http://www.eetimes.com/discussion/other/4024632/Introduction-to-ARM-thumb