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From: a228arig@cdfb.utoronto.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re:  Program Hangups
Message-ID: <8705052345.AA17994@cdfb.toronto.edu>
Date: Tue, 5-May-87 19:45:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: cdfb.8705052345.AA17994
Posted: Tue May  5 19:45:46 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 8-May-87 03:49:45 EDT
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Lines: 33

>
> Sometimes programs use the string facilities of Applesoft.  When Garbage
> collection is required, the system appears to hang up for several minutes.
>
>

Yes, that happens when you start having very large programs.  There are a
few ways around it.  I think the Apple manual suggests that you 'force'
garbage collection periodicaly by using 'FRE(0)'.  FRE(0) returns the
available memory space, but it has the side effect of collecting garbage.
So a line like:

        300 G=FRE(0)

scattered throughout your program may help.  Incidentally (according to
the manual), the argument in FRE makes no difference to the function, but
it must be legal since it gets evaluated.

Probably a better way, is to use a faster garbage collection routine written
by other people.  The one that comes to mind is something from the makers
of Diversi-Dos.  I think that newer versions of their DOS has some
garbage collection routine built in, or on the disk...  (not absolutely
certain though.)

--Tak

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