Computers as Components, 3rd Edition

5.9 Analysis and Optimization of Program Size

The memory footprint of a program is determined by the size of its data and instructions. Both must be considered to minimize program size.

Data provide an excellent opportunity for minimizing size because the data are most highly dependent on programming style. Because inefficient programs often keep several copies of data, identifying and eliminating duplications can lead to significant memory savings usually with little performance penalty. Buffers should be sized carefully—rather than defining a data array to a large size that the program will never attain, determine the actual maximum amount of data held in the buffer and allocate the array accordingly. Data can sometimes be packed, such as by ...