[gclist] Java manchines and when to collect.

Geert Bosch geert@sun3.iaf.nl
Tue, 16 Dec 97 02:48:01 +0100


On Mon, 15 Dec 1997 17:16:22 -0500, P. T. Withington wrote:
>Since to write any storage manager you must convert "address to pile of
>bits" into "object of type x" (and back), I would say you cannot write any
>storage manager in a type-safe language.  More than needing a subset that
>does not allocate, you need a loophole in the type system.

I would put this more directly: 
  a storage manager *is* a loophole in the type-system.

In real-world systems you have to have (controlled) ways to break the
type-system and a implementing a storage manager is just one of the
possible reasons.

Regards,
   Geert