Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!bbn.com!mesard
From: mesard@bbn.com (Wayne Mesard)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: GC and time critical code?
Message-ID: <22550@bbn.COM>
Date: 23 Mar 88 22:02:23 GMT
Sender: news@bbn.COM
Reply-To: mesard@bbn.com
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 21
Summary: Can I do msec timing in Lisp

I'm working on a spec for a program that needs to take collect reaction
time data (from humans).  The program really wants to be written in Lisp
(as any well conceived program would :-), but I'm not clear about how
garbage collection will interfere with taking time data.  That is, what
if the system is doing GC when the subject "presses the stop button"?

I imagine this problem has been dealt with before.  Is there a way to
prevent this?  (Forcing a GC right before the critical code isn't a
guarantee, but I'm willing to entertain arguments that that's good
enough.)

Any comments would be appreciated.  Please mail to me.  I'll summarize
to the net unless it turns out that this is a naive question.

Thanks.

-- 
unsigned *Wayne_Mesard();                     MESARD@BBN.COM
                                              BBN Labs, Cambridge, MA

Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this? [ny] ummm_