--- old/src/share/vm/opto/compile.hpp	2016-02-22 15:17:21.897647643 +0100
+++ new/src/share/vm/opto/compile.hpp	2016-02-22 15:17:21.725647651 +0100
@@ -356,7 +356,14 @@
   int                   _orig_pc_slot;
   int                   _orig_pc_slot_offset_in_bytes;
 
-  int                   _major_progress;        // Count of something big happening
+  bool                   _major_progress;       // Flag to indicate that the compiler expects loop optimizations to happen.
+                                                // The following convention guides the usage of _major_progress:
+                                                // - The flag can be SET when the compiler is initialized because loop
+                                                //   optimizations are expected to happen afterwards;
+                                                // - The flag can be SET/RESET in the scope of loop optimizations so that
+                                                //   it is possible to check if loop optimizations made progress;
+                                                // - The flag cannot be SET/RESET by neither incremental inlining nor (I)GVN,
+                                                //   even if the (I)GVN is performed in the scope of loop optimizations.
   bool                  _inlining_progress;     // progress doing incremental inlining?
   bool                  _inlining_incrementally;// Are we doing incremental inlining (post parse)
   bool                  _has_loops;             // True if the method _may_ have some loops
@@ -616,13 +623,13 @@
   // Control of this compilation.
   int               fixed_slots() const         { assert(_fixed_slots >= 0, "");         return _fixed_slots; }
   void          set_fixed_slots(int n)          { _fixed_slots = n; }
-  int               major_progress() const      { return _major_progress; }
+  bool              major_progress() const      { return _major_progress; }
   void          set_inlining_progress(bool z)   { _inlining_progress = z; }
   int               inlining_progress() const   { return _inlining_progress; }
   void          set_inlining_incrementally(bool z) { _inlining_incrementally = z; }
   int               inlining_incrementally() const { return _inlining_incrementally; }
-  void          set_major_progress()            { _major_progress++; }
-  void        clear_major_progress()            { _major_progress = 0; }
+  void          set_major_progress()            { _major_progress = true; }
+  void        clear_major_progress()            { _major_progress = false; }
   int               num_loop_opts() const       { return _num_loop_opts; }
   void          set_num_loop_opts(int n)        { _num_loop_opts = n; }
   int               max_inline_size() const     { return _max_inline_size; }