Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!atanasoff.rutgers.edu!lou From: lou@cs.rutgers.edu (lou) Newsgroups: comp.object Subject: Re: Stash Collection Message-ID: Date: 28 Nov 90 16:05:51 GMT References: <2849@esquire.dpw.com> <1990Nov27.074534.17744@Think.COM> <2853@esquire.dpw.com> <2855@esquire.dpw.com> Sender: lou@atanasoff.rutgers.edu Reply-To: lou@cs.rutgers.edu Organization: Computer Science Dept., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 Lines: 15 In-reply-to: yost@DPW.COM's message of 28 Nov 90 04:18:12 GMT In regard to memory that is accessible unless and until the space is needed for something else: there was a recent discussion on comp.lang.lisp of "weak" links (I think that was the term), which are links that can be followed to access some storage, but which do not make the collector think the storage is "in use". Thus, when garbage collecting, the storage looks like it can be reclaimed. (Of course, the garbage collector has to notice these weak links and reset them to NIL if to reclaims the storage they point to.) This has the advantage that the user does not have to write any special code to do the cleanup. -- Lou Steinberg uucp: {pretty much any major site}!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!lou internet: lou@cs.rutgers.edu