Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!decvax!decwrl!labrea!rocky!lewis
From: lewis@rocky.STANFORD.EDU (Bil Lewis)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: can someone please explain the concept of "purification" in gnuemacs
Message-ID: <911@rocky.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: 30 Dec 87 20:33:03 GMT
References: <1258@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM>
Organization: Stanford University Computer Science Department
Lines: 20
In-reply-to: mayer@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM's message of 25 Dec 87 04:26:54 GMT

Posting-Front-End: GNU Emacs 18.36.1 of Fri Feb  6 1987 on rocky (berkeley-unix)



Niels,
  I believe that pure storage is nothing more than non-collectable
lisp space, intended for code and constants that will never change.
This allows the GC to work more swiftly & not waste time trying to
compact stuff that doesn't need compaction.

... AH!  If you're trying to put more stuff into pure space then there
is pure space to handle it, you will lose.  (try calling (purecopy '(x))
a bunch of times -- you'll run out of pure storage).  This is probably
what you're seeing.

  The value of PURESIZE should be just enough to contain everything
you wish to keep in purestorage & no more.  You do not normally put
anything into pure storage after dumping EMACS.

  Clear?

-Bil

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