HASH ARRAYS AND GC

[HARTLEY at BBN-TENEXB]

PETER,
YOUR SITUATION IS A MORE COMPLICATED VERSION OF A SITUATION
THAT AROSE HERE AWHILE AGO AND HAS BEEN BUGGING
ME EVER SINCE.
A USER SAVED A HASH ARRAY WITH DUMPHASH(SPELLING?) AND
FOUND THAT SHE COULDNT GET IT LOADED IN BECAUSE
A GC OCCURED WHILE IT WAS LOADING
AND ALL THE HASH ENTRIES WENT AWAY. HER INTENT WAS
TO LOAD THE HASH ARRAY AND THEN MAPHASH THRU IT
TO CONSTRUCT THE REST OF HER DATA STRUCTURE (HAD SHE
GOTTENT O THE STAGE OF CREATING THE REST OF THE
STRUCTURE BEFORE THE GC THEN THE HASH ARRAY WOULD NOT
HAVE DISAPPEARED (THE CONTENTS OF THE HASH ARRAY THET IS)
).

THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED IS THAT EITHER MAPHASH SHOULD NOT
EXIST, OR THAT THE GARBAGE COLLECTOR SHOULD NEVER
DELETE ENTRIES FROM A HASH ARRAY.
THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO MY OBJECTIONS TO THE
DESIRE FOR MAPATOMS.

ALICE
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