On 11/09/13 13:14, Joseph Rushton Wakeling wrote:
On 11/09/13 12:34, monarch_dodra wrote:
But if the buffer is stored in a static variable, the GC will never collect it.
I *could* also free it myself, but why/when would I do that?
Did you just just let your buffer grow, and never let it get collected?
Is there a way to do something like "I'm using this buffer, but if you want to
collect it, then go ahead. I'll reallocate a new one *if/when* I need it again"
How about GC.addRoot and GC.removeRoot ... ?
I should clarify that a bit more. I mean, from what I understand, you want to
be able to do something like this:
void foo(/* vars */)
{
// 1. if buffer not allocated, allocate as necessary
// 2. send GC a message: "Hey, I'm using this buffer! Don't free!
// 3. carry out your calculations
// 4. send GC a message: "Hey, this buffer can be freed if you need to."
}
If I understand right, GC.addRoot should take care of (2) and GC.removeRoot can
take care of (3). Then, if there's a collection cycle in-between calls to foo,
fine; if not, next time you enter foo(), the new call to GC.addRoot will protect
the memory for the lifetime of the calculation.
But this is conjecture, not speaking from experience :-)
