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Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dalsqnt!pollux!ti-csl!m2!gateley
From: gateley@m2.csc.ti.com (John Gateley)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Garbage Collection
Message-ID: <65713@ti-csl.CSNET>
Date: 14 Dec 88 23:30:41 GMT
References: <6702@june.cs.washington.edu> <3861@hubcap.UUCP>
Sender: news@ti-csl.CSNET
Reply-To: gateley@m2.UUCP (John Gateley)
Organization: TI Computer Science Center, Dallas
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

A good example of when garbage collection is needed for readability:
An infinite precision integer arithmatic package (or ADT, or module,
or whatever you want to call it). Infinite precision integers will
take up an unknown amount of memory to represent. Either you have to
explicitly deallocate them when you are done, or let GC take care of them.
But now consider the uses of integers in programs, they are used all over
the place, with no regard for careful deallocation. Converting a program
to use infinite precision integers will be very difficult, since it is
hard to figure exactly when the program is 'finished' with a particular
number.

John