Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cyclic reference counting for combinator machines

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Functional Programming Languages and Computer Architecture (FPCA 1985)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 201))

Abstract

This new algorithm deals correctly and automatically with the kind of cyclic (i.e. self-referencing) structures which arise in a combinator graph reduction machine. By extending the standard reference count algorithm, cycles can be handled safely at little extra cost. Cyclic reference counting uses one extra bit per pointer and per object and one extra reference count per object. Extra computation amounts to inspection of the objects in a cyclic structure from time to time before the structure becomes free. In the absence of cycles, no computation overhead is incurred. When executing some typical recursive programs, the number of objects inspected is approximately equal to the number of new objects used during execution.

(Mail ...!mcvax!ukc!hlh!dave)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. A.L. Davis, "The Architecture and System Method of DDM1: A Recursively Structured Data Driven Machine", Proc. 5th Int. Symp. Computer Architecture, pp. 210–215 (April 1978). (In ACM SIGARCH Newsletter 6(7) 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Arvind, V. Kathail, and K. Pingali, "A Processing Element for a Large Multiprocessor Dataflow Machine", Proc. Int. Conf. Circuits and Computers, New York, IEEE, (October 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  3. J. Backus, "Can Programming be Liberated from the von Neumann Style? A Functional Style and Its Algebra of Programs", Comm. ACM, Vol. 21(8) pp. 613–641 (August 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  4. J. Darlington and M. Reeve, "ALICE: A Multiprocessor Reduction Machine for Parallel Evaluation of Applicative Languages", Proc. Int. Symp. Functional Programming and Computer Architecture, Goteborg, Sweden, pp. 32–62 (June 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  5. J.B. Dennis, "The Varieties of Data Flow Computers", Proc. 1st Int. Conf. Distributed Computer Systems, Huntsville, Alabama, pp. 430–439 IEEE, (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  6. M.R. Sleep, "Towards a Zero Assignment Parallel Processor", Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. Distributed Computing, (April 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  7. I. Watson and J. Gurd, "A Prototype Dataflow Machine with Token Labelling", Proc. Nat. Computer Conf., pp. 623–628 AFIPS Press. Arlington Virginia, (June 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  8. J. Cohen, "Garbage Collection of Linked Data Structures", ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 13(3) pp. 341–367 (September 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  9. D.E. Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 1: Fundamental Algorithms, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  10. D. M. Ritchie and K. Thompson, "The UNIX Time-Sharing System", Bell Sys. Tech. J., Vol. 57(6) pp. 1905–1929 (1978). (Also in Comm. ACM 26(1) 'special Anniversary Issue', January 1983, pp. 84–89).

    Google Scholar 

  11. P. Hudak and R.M. Keller, "Garbage Collection and Task Deletion in Distributed Applicative Processing Systems", Proc. Symp. LISP and Functional Programming, pp. 168–178 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  12. H. Lieberman and C. Hewitt, "A Real-Time Garbage Collector Based on the Lifetimes of Objects", Comm. ACM, Vol. 26(6) pp. 419–429 (June 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  13. H.T. Kung and S.W. Song, "An Efficient Parallel garbage Collection System", Dept. of Computer Science Report, Carnegie-Mellon University (August 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  14. I.A. Newman, R.P. Stallard, and M.C. Woodward, "Improved Multiprocessor Garbage Collection", Proc. Int. Conf. Parallel Processing, pp. 367–368 IEEE, (August 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  15. E.W. Dijkstra, L. Lamport, A.J. Martin, C.S. Scholten, and E.F.M. Steffens, "On The Fly Garbage Collection", Comm. ACM, Vol. 21(11) pp. 966–975 (November 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  16. D.G. Bobrow, "Managing Reentrant Structures Using Reference Counts", ACM Trans. on Programming Languages and Systems, Vol. 2(3) pp. 269–273 (July 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  17. T.W. Christopher, "Reference Counting Garbage Collection", Software Practice and Experience, Vol. 14(6) pp. 503–507 (June 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  18. D.P. Friedman and D.S. Wise, "Reference Counting can Manage the Circular Environments of Mutual Recursion", Information Processing Letters, Vol. 8(1) (January 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  19. R.J.M. Hughes, "Reference Counting with Circular Structures in Virtual Memory Applicative Systems", Oxford University Programming Research Group (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  20. D. Spector, "Minimal Overhead Garbage Collection of Complex List Structure", ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Vol. 17(3) pp. 80–82 (March 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  21. D.A. Turner, "A New Implementation Technique for Applicative Languages", Software Practice and Experience, Vol. 9 pp. 31–49 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  22. K. Berkling, "Reduction Languages for Reduction Machines", Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. Computer Architecture, Houston, Texas, pp. 133–140 (January 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  23. R.M. Keller et al., "A Loosely Coupled Applicative Multiprocessing System", Proc. National Computer Conf., pp. 861–870 AFIPS Press, Arlington Virginia, (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  24. G.A. Mago, "A Cellular Computer Architecture to Execute Reduction Languages", Int. J. Computer and Information Science, Vol. 8(5) pp. 349–385 (1979).

    Google Scholar 

  25. P.C. Treleaven, D.R. Brownbridge, and R.P. Hopkins, "Data Driven and Demand Driven Computer Architecture", ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 14(1) pp. 93–143 (February 1982). (Also in Japanese translation in BIT 12 (1983); and in part in Supercomputers: Design and Applications K. Hwang and R. Khun (eds.) IEEE Computer Society Press 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  26. W.H. Burge, Recursive Programming Techniques, Addison-Wesley, Reading Massachusetts (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  27. J.R. Hindley, B. Lercher, and J.P. Seldin, Introduction to Combinatory Logic, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  28. M. Griffiths, "Run-Time Storage Management", in Compiler Construction — An Advanced Course, ed. F.L. Bauer and J. Eickel, Springer-Verlag (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  29. D.R. Brownbridge, "Recursive Structures in Computer Systems", Ph.D. Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne (September 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  30. R. Tarjan, "Depth-First Search and Linear Graph Algorithms", SIAM J. Computing, Vol. 1(2) pp. 146–160 (June 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  31. D.T. Ross, "The AED Free Storage Package", Comm. ACM, Vol. 10(8) pp. 481–492 (August 1967).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. D. R. Brownbridge

    Present address: High Level Hardware Ltd., Windmill Road, Headington, PO Box 170, OX3 7BN, Oxford, England

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computing Laboratory, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

    D. R. Brownbridge

Authors
  1. D. R. Brownbridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Jean-Pierre Jouannaud

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Brownbridge, D.R. (1985). Cyclic reference counting for combinator machines. In: Jouannaud, JP. (eds) Functional Programming Languages and Computer Architecture. FPCA 1985. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 201. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-15975-4_42

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-15975-4_42

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-15975-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-39677-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation