Re: real-time programming

[haible@ilog.ilog.fr]

Johann Petrak writes:

> I am not very familiar with RT programming, but I wonder how to use
> a programming language that uses automatic garbage collection, like LISP.

Automatic garbage collection and real-time constraints don't exclude each
other. It is the GC *implementation* used in CLISP and many other Lisp
implementations (suspend the program's execution during GC) that hurts.
Some Lisp implementations use incremental GC; research has been done about
doing background GC.

> Wouldn't be an important requirement for the language to support a
> programming style that allows one to guarantee timely responses? 

It's the actual performance requirements that matter. If the NASA
requirements can/could be met with CLISP's GC (which does its work in about
half a second), then all is fine.


Bruno Haible                        email: <haible@ilog.fr>
Software Engineer                   phone: +33-1-49083585