[dev.typeparams] cmd/compile: add documentation for unified IR pipeline

While at it, also rename "useUnifiedIR" to "unified", to be consistent
with "-d=unified" and "GOEXPERIMENT=unified".

Change-Id: I48ffdb4b36368343893b74f174608f5f59278249
Reviewed-on: https://go-review.googlesource.com/c/go/+/328989
Trust: Cuong Manh Le <cuong.manhle.vn@gmail.com>
Run-TryBot: Cuong Manh Le <cuong.manhle.vn@gmail.com>
TryBot-Result: Go Bot <gobot@golang.org>
Reviewed-by: Matthew Dempsky <mdempsky@google.com>

3 files changed, 47 insertions, 7 deletions

diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
index c7970396f8..3d83129aea 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/noder.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func LoadPackage(filenames []string) {
 	base.Timer.AddEvent(int64(lines), "lines")
 
 	if base.Debug.Unified != 0 {
-		useUnifiedIR(noders)
+		unified(noders)
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/quirks.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/quirks.go
index 9f33fc576d..28a729f276 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/quirks.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/quirks.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 // -cmp when compared against the legacy frontend behavior, but can be
 // removed after that's no longer a concern.
 
-// quirksMode controls whether behavior specific to satsifying
+// quirksMode controls whether behavior specific to satisfying
 // toolstash -cmp is used.
 func quirksMode() bool {
 	// Currently, unified IR doesn't try to be compatible with
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go
index 96c0916493..7a1bb88537 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go
@@ -28,9 +28,48 @@ import (
 // later.
 var localPkgReader *pkgReader
 
-// useUnifiedIR reports whether the unified IR frontend should be
-// used; and if so, uses it to construct the local package's IR.
-func useUnifiedIR(noders []*noder) {
+// unified construct the local package's IR from syntax's AST.
+//
+// The pipeline contains 2 steps:
+//
+// (1) Generate package export data "stub".
+//
+// (2) Generate package IR from package export data.
+//
+// The package data "stub" at step (1) contains everything from the local package,
+// but nothing that have been imported. When we're actually writing out export data
+// to the output files (see writeNewExport function), we run the "linker", which does
+// a few things:
+//
+// + Updates compiler extensions data (e.g., inlining cost, escape analysis results).
+//
+// + Handles re-exporting any transitive dependencies.
+//
+// + Prunes out any unnecessary details (e.g., non-inlineable functions, because any
+//   downstream importers only care about inlinable functions).
+//
+// The source files are typechecked twice, once before writing export data
+// using types2 checker, once after read export data using gc/typecheck.
+// This duplication of work will go away once we always use types2 checker,
+// we can remove the gc/typecheck pass. The reason it is still here:
+//
+// + It reduces engineering costs in maintaining a fork of typecheck
+//   (e.g., no need to backport fixes like CL 327651).
+//
+// + It makes it easier to pass toolstash -cmp.
+//
+// + Historically, we would always re-run the typechecker after import, even though
+//   we know the imported data is valid. It's not ideal, but also not causing any
+//   problem either.
+//
+// + There's still transformation that being done during gc/typecheck, like rewriting
+//   multi-valued function call, or transform ir.OINDEX -> ir.OINDEXMAP.
+//
+// Using syntax+types2 tree, which already has a complete representation of generics,
+// the unified IR has the full typed AST for doing introspection during step (1).
+// In other words, we have all necessary information to build the generic IR form
+// (see writer.captureVars for an example).
+func unified(noders []*noder) {
 	inline.NewInline = InlineCall
 
 	if !quirksMode() {
@@ -111,8 +150,9 @@ func useUnifiedIR(noders []*noder) {
 	base.ExitIfErrors() // just in case
 }
 
-// writePkgStub type checks the given parsed source files and then
-// returns
+// writePkgStub type checks the given parsed source files,
+// writes an export data package stub representing them,
+// and returns the result.
 func writePkgStub(noders []*noder) string {
 	m, pkg, info := checkFiles(noders)