Re: [Chicken-hackers] Need help to understand C_mutate better.

[Jörg F . Wittenberger]

On Oct 21 2011, Jörg F. Wittenberger wrote:

> > The mutation stack will
> > grow until a garbage collection takes place, so if you
> > invoke C_mutate in a C loop without giving GC a chance,
> > the mutations will just add up.

Reading C_reclaim still without fully understanding how
exactly is will interact with C_context_switch
it appears to me that if there where always an interrupt
pending (or at least too often) then chicken would
dispatch to the interrupt handler, which will switch context.

I don't see how the C code would return to the (minor) gc.
In handle_interrupt is even mentioned that it must not return.

If the next signal arrives before the next gc run this would take
the same path.  This way the mutation stack will grow.
Slightly at first, but the larger it becomes, the longer it takes
to relocate, thereby increasing the probability of yet another turn.

If that was correct, it looks as if it would be better
to move the interrupt handling towards the end of gc.
(Not sure that I could do that.)

Given that what I have to do to kickstart the excessive
memory consumption it involves massive handling signals and i/o.

/Jörg