At 13:30 22/09/00 +0100, you wrote:
} In my opinion, garbage collection is an efficiency mechanism. } Conclusion (assuming I remembered correctly that the proof can be done): } if you are not bothered with performance, use a garbage collector, } and save on memory budget, use virtual memory as well. } } if you are bothered with performance, buy twice as much memory, and } do not use a garbage collector, nor virtual memory. Simply, use } enough memory. Yes, I agree... The temptation to attach every bell and whistle is a strong one. But that problem becomes an opportunity when you remember that implies that the niche of clean, understandable simplicity is almost unoccupied. Larry
I am slightly worried by this view. The experience of many ARM customers, working in the embedded space, is that memory is definitely not cheap. The reasons are:
1. What memory you have must be on-chip with the processor, which mostly limits it to small quantities of SRAM and slightly larger quantities of ROM or EPROM.
2. The cost of many consumer items is a multiple of the manufacturing cost. That is, if it costs $5 to build, it costs $50 at the retailer (and that is perhaps understating the multiple). Consequently, adding a $10 DRAM to a design is not an option -- it would add $100 to the selling price.
3. Items like mobile phones typically have huge memory requirements -- 3-5MB ROMS is not unusual, and RAM is also needed in large quantity. And yet if you look inside these devices you find only a couple of chips. Doubling the physical space required for memory is not possible -- it doesn't fit.
I believe there should be a garbage collection scheme added to occam. It is a great language for many things, but it is let down in areas which people care about intensely.
Regards, Ruth