Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: Reto Kramer <kramer@al.esec.ch>
Subject: Does VW really garbage collect circular structures ?
Message-ID: <D37sp4.2sM@eunet.ch>
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Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 10:48:40 GMT
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Since VW contains (among others) a mark and sweep
garbage collector, I always assumed, it would be
able to gc circular structures.
However I experienced occasions, where it does not

do it unless one of the references is made "weak",
which makes it invisible to the gc.

Another indication that there might a problem with
circular structures can be found in the method:

Process>offList

the commend reads:

"Inform the receiver that it has been taken off a
list that it was suspended on.
This is to break a backpointer." <<<---

This message and its comment are there ever since I know
Smalltalk-80( V2.3), however, I never paid much attention
to it. Is it an indication, that there is a problem with
circular references ?

I assume that I missed an important point, at the time
of this writing... I'd appreciate any hint that helps
me to understand where the problem is.

Reto
