[comp.object] Actor question: a:=new

pcb@basin04.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) (03/24/91)

A question about garbage collection in Actor.  When I instantiate a
new object as in a:=new(ClassA); and I am no longer interested in a,
how do I get rid of it?  Is there a GC running?  For instance,
allocating a collection and filling it with some objects. Now I 
do not need is any longer.  Now what?  I say the destroy object
for memory objects and huge bitmaps but not for anything else.

I guess I am looking for the comparable method to the C++ destructor and
using free().


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| Peter C. Bahrs      pcb@swamp.cacs.usl.edu                             |
| The USL-NASA Project                                                   |
| Center For Advanced Computer Studies                                   | 
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| University of Southwestern Louisiana                                   |
| Lafayette, LA 70504                                                    |
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i1neal@exnet.iastate.edu (Neal Rauhauser -- ) (03/24/91)

In article <27749@rouge.usl.edu> pcb@basin04.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes:
>A question about garbage collection in Actor.  When I instantiate a
>new object as in a:=new(ClassA); and I am no longer interested in a,
>how do I get rid of it?  Is there a GC running?  For instance,
>allocating a collection and filling it with some objects. Now I 
>do not need is any longer.  Now what?  I say the destroy object
>for memory objects and huge bitmaps but not for anything else.
>
>I guess I am looking for the comparable method to the C++ destructor and
>using free().


   a := nil;


   Actor keeps two variable spaces and copies objects back and forth
between them when the system isn't busy. By setting a to nil, you leave
whatever a refered to hanging, and when things get copied that information
gets left behind.



--
   Neal   i1neal@exnet.iastate.edu
 "A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking (meant) for others!"
   - Donatien-Alphonse-Francois de Sade
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