Warp wrote:
>>Every node (except the end ones) always has 2 other nodes pointing to 
>>it. Hence the reference count will never reach zero. QED.

>   The nodes at the ends of the list have only one.

Not necessarily. They're pointed to by the object that represents the 
list as a whole. What pointer would you drop to make the list 
garbage-collect with a reference-count GC?

If you have a "file" that points to its buffer, and its buffer points to 
its file, you have a loop. If you have a declaration object that points 
to the definition object and the definition object points to the 
declaration object, you have a loop. If the window instance points to 
the screen instance and the screen instance points to the window 
instance, you have a loop. If the treenode points to its children and 
the children point back up to the parent, you have a loop.

Plus, reference counting has very bad performance as well as being 
non-real-time and uninterruptable.

None of which has much to do with POV-Ray as such. ;-)

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     Just because you find out you are
     telepathic, don't let it go to your head.

Post a reply to this message