From: bbense+comp.lang.ruby.Aug.28.02@... Date: 2002-08-29T05:31:26+09:00 Subject: Re: Why Ruby Uses Mark-and-Sweep GC? -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article , William Djaja Tjokroaminata wrote: >Hi Matz, > >Do you think it will be beneficial to add C API for Ruby objects that will >not participate in the mark-and-sweep gc in a future release of Ruby? I >think in this way we expand Ruby usefullness to include real-time >programming. > >Also, garbage collection is not an essential element of Ruby, is it? _ I think it is. This is a question that seems to pop up a lot on this list "Is it Ruby?" _ There's no real answer of course, but IMHO if it doesn't do gc it's not Ruby. The whole point of Ruby is to have the computer do the bookkeeping and the programmer do the programming. > If >some part of Ruby is not garbage-collected, Ruby is still Ruby, isn't >it? I think this will even add to Ruby's luster. _ It really feels to me like you want your hammer to drive screws. A language is just a tool after all and at some point you have to say. "If you want to drive screws, get a screwdriver." IMHO, real-time environments are one of the places where you have to draw the line. Making things work in those environments requires that you make some pretty strong assumptions about what the underlying requirements are, many of those assumptions break the existing model for Ruby. Maybe there's room for a "Real Time Ruby", but IMHO the features you want would be a "flaw in the jewel", not a luster. - - Booker C. Bense -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBPW0xg2TWTAjn5N/lAQGaugQAiKgOK+Ef2vzN3+sBwD8RaZpCsf0kx3J5 /6/lCng2SyiRNlozLkXMQdrOBtLwoFfn222fTgPdjveY0+S+7ahYOFIwUQ1yL8Q5 34O+KRxaKFuYsG1saINTYkxHuRDywWkFm+w3hBVLbThATpbAWs54AZHoMbp5+SC/ xxvL//S87fo= =P6fP -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----