Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!hubcap!billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu
From: billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe, 2847 )
Newsgroups: comp.sw.components
Subject: Re: Real-time Garbage Collection
Message-ID: <6493@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 89 17:41:43 GMT
References: <1895@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Sender: news@hubcap.clemson.edu
Reply-To: billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu
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From article <1895@hydra.gatech.EDU>, by tynor@prism.gatech.EDU (Steve Tynor):
> Freeing the memory _is_ usually straightforward. Knowing when it's safe to 
> do so _isn't_. That's when GC (or reference counting) becomes necessary.

   It's safe to do so:

     1) When the variable goes out of scope

     2) When the programmer specifies that it's to be destroyed sooner.

   So assuming that we use abstract data types like good little 
   programmers, where's the need for reference counting?


   Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu