Re: hash tables and GC

[Rob.MacLachlan@WB1.CS.CMU.EDU]

There is also the rather similar "weak pointer" notion, which I believe is
implemented in T.  The operations on a weak pointer are something like:

    MAKE-WEAK-POINTER Object => Weak-Pointer
    INDIRECT-WEAK-POINTER Weak-Pointer => Object or NIL

Having a weak pointer to an object allows you to keep track of it, but
doesn't prevent GC.  Although I haven't ever used either weak pointers or
GC'able hash-tables, I think weak pointers are superior as a language
feature, since they are more primitive and potentially more efficient.

The GC-able hash-table notion unnecessarily complicates the semantics by
rolling in hash-table semantics when the real issue is with GC.  Usually
the association capacity of hashtables is unnecessary: instead of
weak-hashing from A to B, allocate another slot in A to hold the weak
pointer to B.

The implementation issues are basically the same as for GC-able
hash-tables, but weak pointers seem to have a sight edge.  They can be
implemented by allocating weak pointers in a special area, but given
abundant tag bits, immediate representations are also conceivable.

  Rob