[Caml-list] mutable Vs non mutable

[Caml-list] mutable Vs non mutable

[Animesh Pathak]

dear people,
I have a small question...

What are the costs incurred (if any) in terms of program size/speed if we use 
mutable variables in place of a non- mutable one??

Thanks for considering my Query

Animesh

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[Caml-list] mutable Vs non mutable

[Basile STARYNKEVITCH]

>>>>> "Animesh" == Animesh Pathak <animesh.pathak@inria.fr> writes:

    Animesh> What are the costs incurred (if any) in terms of program
    Animesh> size/speed if we use mutable variables in place of a non-
    Animesh> mutable one??

Only fields are mutable. When a mutable field is overwritten, the
garbage collector's write barrier is exercised.

This has some costs, first inside the write barrier's code, and
eventually inside the GC itself.

I've got no idea about the quantitative costs. But I am not worried of
using mutable fields (eg references) in my code when needed.  (I first
try to find the right algorithms. Optimization is usually useless....)

Regards

N.B. Any opinions expressed here are only mine, and not of my organization.
N.B. Les opinions exprimees ici me sont personnelles et n engagent pas le CEA.

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