Intel C++ Compiler 11.0 for Mac
Mac and Multi-Core Capabilities
Multi-Threaded Application Support
OpenMP and auto-parallelization help convert serial applications into parallel applications, allowing you to take full advantage of multi-core technology like the Intel® Core™ Duo processor and Dual-Core Intel Itanium 2 processor, as well as symmetric multi-processing systems:
- OpenMP is the industry standard for portable multi-threaded application development. It is effective at fine-grain (loop-level) and large-grain (function-level) threading.
OpenMP directives are an easy and powerful way to convert serial applications into parallel applications, enabling potentially big performance gains from parallel execution on multi-core and symmetric multiprocessor systems. - Auto Parallelization improves application performance on multiprocessor systems by means of automatic threading of loops. This option detects parallel loops capable of being executed safely in parallel and automatically generates multi-threaded code.
Automatic parallelization relieves the user from having to deal with the low-level details of iteration partitioning, data sharing, thread scheduling, and synchronizations. It also provides the performance benefits available from multiprocessor systems and systems that support Hyper-Threading Technology.
Xcode 2.2 Integration
The Intel C++ Compilers, Standard and Professional Editions, for Mac OS are compatible with Xcode 2.2, enabling developers to work with popular IDE while also taking advantage of advanced optimisation features from Intel.
Generate C/C++ Universal Binaries from the Xcode environment using the Intel C++ Compilers for Mac OS and GCC for PowerPC, retaining compatibility with GCC 4.0. Universal Binaries are designed to ease the transition between PowerPC and Intel architecture by combining native code for both architectures in a single compiled package.
High-level code that contains no processor dependencies requires few if any changes to create a Universal Binary. Lower-level code that contains hardware dependencies presents a greater challenge.
GCC 4.0 Interoperability
GNU C/C++ compatibility features enable you to gain source- and object-code compatibility with GNU C. The Intel C++ Compilers, Standard and Professional Editions, for Mac OS X, have GCC-extension support to help ease application porting, so you can recompile existing software to get improved application performance. Alternatively, rather than switching compilers completely, build applications by compiling specific modules with the Intel C++ Compilers for Mac OS X and link them with modules compiled with GNU C. Additionally, the Intel C++ Compilers for Mac OS X comply with the C++ ABI standard, which enables stronger binary compatibility with GCC 4.0.
Support for Apple Frameworks
Apple frameworks are a special type of bundle used to distribute shared resources, including library code, resource files, header files, and reference documentation. They offer flexibility that is often preferable to using dynamic shared libraries.