We’re launching Lyria 3.5 in Google Flow Music, with advances across musicality, lyrics, vocals, and creative control
deepmind.google·6d ago
AI Engineering
Lobsters·19d ago·5 min read
Using GCC's Nested Functions with Wide Pointers and no Trampolines II
TL;DR
GCC 16 introduces a guarantee that nested functions not accessing parent variables will not require a runtime trampoline, enhancing security. This change allows safe returns of such functions and provides warnings for those that do access local contexts.
✦ Why It Matters
Engineers can now confidently use nested functions without worrying about security risks from trampolines in GCC 16.
Key Takeaways
- Use GCC 16 to avoid trampolines for nested functions not accessing parent variables.
- Implement wide pointers to simplify callback function handling.
- Leverage built-in functions for efficient nested function calls.
- Stay informed about nested function support in other compilers like Clang.
How It Works
GCC 16 optimizes nested functions by ensuring that those not capturing parent variables do not require trampolines, which are runtime constructs that can introduce security vulnerabilities. Instead, the compiler can directly manage function calls using built-in functions that handle static chains, allowing for efficient execution without additional overhead.