DIP60: @nogc attribute

[Steven Schveighoffer via Digitalmars-d]

On Fri, 18 Apr 2014 16:40:06 -0400, Walter Bright  
<newshound2 at digitalmars.com> wrote:

> This isn't quite correct. I implemented a GC for Java back in the 90's.  
> D has semantics that are conducive to GC that C doesn't have, and this  
> was done based on my experience with GC's. To wit, objects can't have  
> internal references, so that a moving collector can be implemented.

This isn't correct. Only structs cannot have internal references. Objects  
don't move or copy so easily.

Not only that, but internal pointers would not prevent a moving GC.

>> I don't feel like you've given me any evidence that ARC in not  
>> feasible. Just
>> that you're not interested in trying it out.
>> Please, kill it technically. Not just with dismissal and FUD.
>
> I've given you technical reasons. You don't agree with them, that's ok,  
> but doesn't mean I have not considered your arguments, all of which have  
> come up before. See the thread for the previous discussion on this. It's  
> not like I haven't tried.
>
> http://forum.dlang.org/thread/l34lei$255v$1@digitalmars.com
>

Note, there are much more practical reasons to enable reference counting  
-- interoperating natively with Objective-C and iOS/MacOS.

-Steve