Smart pointers instead of GC?

[Manu]

On 1 February 2014 18:20, Paulo Pinto <pjmlp at progtools.org> wrote:

> Am 01.02.2014 06:29, schrieb Manu:
>
>> On 26 December 2012 00:48, Sven Over <dlang at svenover.de
>> <mailto:dlang at svenover.de>> wrote:
>>
>>         std.typecons.RefCounted!T
>>
>>         core.memory.GC.disable();
>>
>>
>>     Wow. That was easy.
>>
>>     I see, D's claim of being a multi-paradigm language is not false.
>>
>>
>> It's not a realistic suggestion. Everything you want to link uses the
>> GC, and the language its self also uses the GC. Unless you write
>> software in complete isolation and forego many valuable features, it's
>> not a solution.
>>
>>
>>         Phobos does rely on the GC to some extent. Most algorithms and
>>         ranges do not though.
>>
>>
>>     Running (library) code that was written with GC in mind and turning
>>     GC off doesn't sound ideal.
>>
>>     But maybe this allows me to familiarise myself more with D. Who
>>     knows, maybe I can learn to stop worrying and love garbage collection.
>>
>>     Thanks for your help!
>>
>>
>> I've been trying to learn to love the GC for as long as I've been around
>> here. I really wanted to break that mental barrier, but it hasn't
>> happened.
>> In fact, I am more than ever convinced that the GC won't do. My current
>> #1 wishlist item for D is the ability to use a reference counted
>> collector in place of the built-in GC.
>> You're not alone :)
>>
>> I write realtime and memory-constrained software (console games), and
>> for me, I think the biggest issue that can never be solved is the
>> non-deterministic nature of the collect cycles, and the unknowable
>> memory footprint of the application. You can't make any guarantees or
>> predictions about the GC, which is fundamentally incompatible with
>> realtime software.
>>
>
>
> Meanwhile Unity and similar engines are becoming widespread, with C++
> being pushed all the way to the bottom on the stack.
>
> At least from what I hear in the gaming communities I hop around.
>
> What is your experience there?
>

Unity is indeed popular, for casual/indy games.
AAA/'big games' show no signs of moving away from C++. The 'next gen' has
enough memory for GC (still can't afford the time though), but handhelds
and small devices are a bigger market these days.
It's true that there are less 'big games' on handhelds, which are the
future of resource-limited devices, but I think that rift is closing
quickly.
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