Question

Since .net has the TailCall opcode,
can this be used to deterime if an F# function is truly tail recursive?

If it is true, has anyone made a VS add-in that identifies tail and non-tail functions?

Answer 1

See this blog post on the F# team blog for a summary of how F# compiles tail calls.

In short,

1. Direct recursive tail calls are typically converted into loops.
2. Mutual recursion and indirect non-recursive tail calls are typically turned into .NET tail calls.

but see the full post for all of the gory details.