Re: GC function

[NGALL@G.BBN.COM]

    Date:     Mon, 21 Jul 86 09:26 ???
    From:     Jim Hassett <HASSETT%sperry-csd.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
    To:       common-lisp@SU-AI.ARPA
    Subject:  GC function
    
    The discussion concerning (GC) suggests that a major use would be to
    trigger garbage collection so that delays could be avoided during some
    subsequent processing, such as benchmarks or real-time operations.  It
    seems a bit devious to invoke garbage collection for the purpose of 
    preventing it, so perhaps a more direct approach to this application could
    be used:
    
       without-gc-delay form                            [Macro]
    
       Evaluates form and returns what form returns, but prevents (as far as
       is reasonable for the implementation) delays due to garbage collection.
    
    It could be left up to the implementation to decide whether garbage collection
    should be done before evaluating the form.  Obviously, it is possible that
    some forms which could otherwise be handled might exhaust available memory
    when processed in this manner, unless the implementation can provide for 
    doing garbage collection if it can be seen to be necessary.
    
    Does this make sense over a reasonably broad range of implementations?
    Is it sufficiently useful to be included in the language?
    
    - Jim Hassett

In my humble opinion: yes and yes.

-- Nick