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From: hbaker@netcom.com (Henry G. Baker)
Subject: Re: Reference Counting (was Re: Searching Method for Incremental Garbage Collection)
Message-ID: <hbakerCzJKFu.AL5@netcom.com>
Keywords: storage garbage collection incremental search method
Organization: nil
References: <3ai2ol$3ua@gate.fzi.de> <CzHCvp.9rM@rheged.dircon.co.uk> <AST.178.785265972@postman.hsn.no>
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 1994 01:07:06 GMT
Lines: 20
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.c:117252 comp.lang.c++:99584 comp.lang.lisp:15710

In article <AST.178.785265972@postman.hsn.no> AST@postman.hsn.no (Alf Steinbach) writes:
>I'm surprised that so many people have been recommending reference
>counting garbage collection in this conference (if I've understood the
>mailings about "intelligent pointers" correctly).  What's the state of
>computer science education when ideas like this can flourish like they do?

Reference counting is used in a lot of places where one knows that
cycles cannot be formed -- e.g., the Unix file system (not counting
'symbolic' links).  There are circumstances where you can guarantee
that cycles can _never_ be formed -- e.g., 100% pure functional
languages and 'linear' languages.

For information about reference counting, 'linear' languages, and other
GC topics, see my ftp directory.

      Henry Baker
      Read ftp.netcom.com:/pub/hbaker/README for info on ftp-able papers.
      Contact hoodr@netcom.com if you have trouble ftping


