Re: Finalization and Garbage Collection: a hole in the RM?

[dewar@cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Franco quoted the reference manual

"   11  If the representation of the object does not represent a value of
       the object's type, the semantics of operations on such
       representations is implementation-defined, but does not by itself
       lead to erroneous or unpredictable execution, or to other objects
       becoming abnormal."

In the context of discussing whether bounded errors are predictable or not.
But there is a HUGE difference between implementation-defined and
a bouned error. If something is implementation defined, then Annex M
must specify its behavior, and the behavior is entirely predictable.

However, reading paragraphs 9-11 here, I agree there is a lot of confusion
over what is a bounded error, and what is implementation defined, and the
RM does not seem to recognize the HUGE difference I mention above :-)

Bob (Duff), can you sort out the intention here, para 9 seems to say
that evaluating the value of an object with an invalid reprsentatoin
is a bounded error, and para 11 seems to say that is implementation
defined.

Even for someone who *is* a native speaker and reader of English, this
is completely confusing to me :-)