Which pointer analysis should I use?

During the past two decades many di erent pointer analysis algorithms have been published. Although some descriptions include measurements of the e ectiveness of the algorithm, qualitative comparisons among algorithms are difcult because of varying infrastructure, benchmarks, and performance metrics. Without such comparisons it is not only di cult for an implementor to determine which pointer analysis is appropriate for their application, but also for a researcher to know which algorithms should be used as a basis for future advances. This paper describes an empirical comparison of the e ectiveness of ve pointer analysis algorithms on C programs. The algorithms vary in their use of control ow information ( ow-sensitivity) and alias data structure, resulting in worst-case complexity from linear to polynomial. The effectiveness of the analyses is quanti ed in terms of compiletime precision and e ciency. In addition to measuring the direct e ects of pointer analysis, precision is also re...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: ISSTA
• Authors: Michael Hind, Anthony Pioli
• Keywords: Erent Pointer Analysis, ISSTA 2000, Pointer Analysis, Pointer Analysis Algorithms, Software Engineering