Subject: Re: [RFC PATCH 4/8] powerpc/ppc_asm: use plain numbers for registers

From: Segher Boessenkool <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2021 09:25:47 -0600

On Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 02:10:02PM +1100, Daniel Axtens wrote:
> This is dumb but makes the llvm integrated assembler happy.
> https://github.com/ClangBuiltLinux/linux/issues/764

> -#define	r0	%r0

> +#define	r0	0

This is a big step back (compare 9a13a524ba37).

If you use a new enough GAS, you can use the -mregnames option and just
say "r0" directly (so not define it at all, or define it to itself).

===
        addi 3,3,3
        addi r3,r3,3
        addi %r3,%r3,3

        addi 3,3,3
        addi r3,r3,r3
        addi %r3,%r3,%r3
===

$ as t.s -o t.o -mregnames
t.s: Assembler messages:
t.s:6: Warning: invalid register expression
t.s:7: Warning: invalid register expression

Many people do not like bare numbers.  It is a bit like not wearing
seatbelts (but so is all assembler code really: you just have to pay
attention).  A better argument is that it is harder to read for people
not used to assembler code like this.

We used to have "#define r0 0" etc., and that was quite problematic.
Like that "addi r3,r3,r3" example, but also, people wrote "r0" where
only a plain 0 is allowed (like in "lwzx r3,0,r3": "r0" would be
misleading there!)

Segher