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> This is strange phrasing, because reference counting is a garbage collection strategy. Oof, don't open that can of worms. Let me summarize the result: 1) the
by ForTheKidz 2y ago
> This is strange phrasing, because reference counting is a garbage collection strategy.
Oof, don't open that can of worms. Let me summarize the result: 1) the distinction is arbitrary and 2) people are very passionate about their personal view being considered canonically correct. To the extent i've started referred to refer to both mark-and-sweep/boehm garbage collection and reference counting as "automatic memory management".
- KerrAvon 2y agoI think people get unhappy that their favorite language doesn’t have real GC and it becomes an extension of their language advocacy. Python didn’t have GC for a long time.
- ForTheKidz 2y agoLet's just agree to disagree. I don't see any value fighting over these words.
- makeitdouble 2y agoNot everyone wants GC either, so the mix of feelings must have been complex. I didn't much follow these kind of holy wars, but I've seen people leave Java partly to get away from GC, same as people in the Objective C community being pretty happy to get ARC instead of heavier GC systems.