Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme
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From: smcl@sytex.com (Scott McLoughlin)
Subject: Re: Purify'd scheme(s)
Message-ID: <39ZZuc2w165w@sytex.com>
Sender: bbs@sytex.com
Organization: Sytex Access Ltd.
References: <TMB.94Oct29235717@arolla.idiap.ch>
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 07:35:01 GMT
Lines: 30

tmb@arolla.idiap.ch (Thomas M. Breuel) writes:

> I think we are beginning to see here why Ousterhout made the choices
> that he did.  There is currently no way in C to interface effortlessly
> and portably with a garbage collected language.  
> 

Howdy,
        Various products, such as Visual Basic and old style
"careful" Windows programming, required that interfacing C
code lock and unlock resources so that the rug isn't pulled
out from under the code, typically caused by a compaction of
memory.
        While this isn't convenient, it allows for the 
implementation to manage resources efficiently in an
"automatic" way, while requiring C programs to do what
they do all the time anyway: state your intentions and
don't screw up. 
        I wouldn't feel sorry for myself of the C programming
community in general if this were the case for GEL. Many
folks use C _because_ it allows one manage resources, so 
what's the diff?

p.s. No flames please. I'm sure conservative GC is the
greatest thing since sliced bread.

=============================================
Scott McLoughlin
Conscious Computing
=============================================
