Optimizing code for II/e vs II/f

Subtracting 2 pointers is more likely to lead to a divide than a multiply!

Adding an integral value to a pointer is likely to generate a multiply.

If the compiler doesn't generate a multiply, it can only generate a shift instead, and fast shifts require the 'mul' instruction.

Certainly a sequence of shifts and adds (which would likely be faster than a multiply on a system with hardware shift but not multiply) is likely to always be slower on a Nios2.

Try -fno-hw-mul