CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javagarbage-collection
Abhishek Sanghvi
Abhishek Sanghvi

Reputation: 4651

java basics garbage collection

is garbage collection algorithm in java "vendor implemented?"

Upvotes: 5

Views: 1355

Answers (5)

Rajan Marimuthu
Rajan Marimuthu

Reputation: 1

Yes. The Java VirtualMachine Specification don't say anything specific about garbage collection. Each vendor has their own implementation for performing the task. each can automatically calls garbage collector, then we didn't need manual calls for garbage collection

Upvotes: 0

vmhacker
vmhacker

Reputation: 413

Yes. The Java VM Spec's don't say anything specific about garbage collection. Each vendor has their own implementation for performing GC. In fact, each vendor will have multiple GC policies that can be best chosen for a particular task.

Example A GC tuned for throughput may not be good for real-time systems since they will have erratic (and often longer) pause times which are not predictable. Non-predictability is a killer for real-time application.

Some GC's such as the ones from Oracle and IBM are very tunable and can be tune based on your application's run-time memory characteristics.

The internals of GC are not too complicated at a higher level. Many algorithms that began in the early days of LISP are still in use today.

Read this (http://nd.edu/~dthain/courses/cse40243/spring2006/gc-survey.pdf "GC Introduction") for a good introduction to Garbage Collection at a moderately high-level.

Upvotes: 0

Brandon E Taylor
Brandon E Taylor

Reputation: 25339

From the introduction paragraph to Chapter 3 of the Java Virtual Machine Specification:

For example, the memory layout of run-time data areas, the garbage-collection algorithm used, and any internal optimization of the Java virtual machine instructions (for example, translating them into machine code) are left to the discretion of the implementor. [emphasis mine]

Upvotes: 6

David Rabinowitz
David Rabinowitz

Reputation: 30448

Yes, and not only that, each JVM can contain more than one garbage collection strategy:

Upvotes: 4

Mark Bessey
Mark Bessey

Reputation: 19782

Definitely vendor dependent. GCJ and the Sun VM use totally different garbage collectors, for example.

Upvotes: 1

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