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Lively linear Lisp: “look ma, no garbage!”

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Henry G. BakerAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Volume 27, Issue 8

Pages 89 - 98

https://doi.org/10.1145/142137.142162

Published: 01 August 1992 Publication History

Abstract

Linear logic has been proposed as one solution to the problem of garbage collection and providing efficient "update-in-place" capabilities within a more functional language. Linear logic conserves accessibility, and hence provides a mechanical metaphor which is more appropriate for a distributed-memory parallel processor in which copying is explicit. However, linear logic's lack of sharing may introduce significant inefficiencies of its own.We show an efficient implementation of linear logic called Linear Lisp that runs within a constant factor of non-linear logic. This Linear Lisp allows RPLACX operations, and manages storage as safely as a non-linear Lisp, but does not need a garbage collector. Since it offers assignments but no sharing, it occupies a twilight zone between functional languages and imperative languages. Our Linear Lisp Machine offers many of the same capabilities as combinator/graph reduction machines, but without their copying and garbage collection problems.

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Index Terms

Lively linear Lisp: “look ma, no garbage!”
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. Compilers
      1. Interpreters
    2. General programming languages
      1. Language features
        Data types and structures
      2. Language types
2. Theory of computation
  1. Formal languages and automata theory

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Publication History

Published: 01 August 1992

Published in SIGPLAN Volume 27, Issue 8

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Carette JJames RSabry A(2022)Embracing the laws of physics: Three reversible models of computation10.1016/bs.adcom.2021.11.009(15-63)Online publication date: 2022
https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adcom.2021.11.009
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