Garbage collection Libraries in C++ [closed]

Question

What free and commercial garbage collection libraries are available for C++, and what are the pros and cons of each?

I am interested in hard-won lessons from actual use in the field, not marketing or promotional blurb.

There is no need to elaborate on the usual trade offs associated with automatic garbage collection, but please do mention the algorithms used (reference counting, mark and sweep, incremental, etc.) and briefly summarise the consequences.

Answer 1

The only one I know of is Boehm, which at the bottom is a traditional mark and sweep. It probably uses various techniques to optimize this, but typically incremental/generational/compacting GC's will be hard to create for C++ without going for a managed subset such as what you can get with .Net C++. Some of the approaches that needs to move pointers can be implemented with compiler support for pinning pointers or read/write blocks though, but the effect on performance may be too big, and it isn't necessarily non-trivial changes to the GC.

Answer 2

Here's a commercial product I found in just looking for this same thing

HnxGC http://hnxgc.harnixworld.com/

Back in the day, there was also a product called Great Circle from Geodesic Systems, but doesn't look like they sell that anymore. No idea if the sold the product to anyone else.

Answer 3

Read this and take a good look at the conclusions:

Conclusions

• Complex solution to problem for which simple solutions are widely used and will be improved by C++0x leaving us little need.
• We have little to no experience with the recommended language features which are to be standardized.
• Fixing bad software complex system will never work.

• Recommend minor language changes to improve future GC support - disallow hiding of pointers (xor list trick) as one example.

• Finally - address the "C++ is bad because it has no GC" argument head-on. C++ doesn't generate garbage and so has no need for GC. Clearly Java, C#, Objective C, etc. generate lots of garbage.

Yes the last sentence is subjective and also a part of the holy wars.
I use C++ because I dislike the idea that someone needs to take out the garbage for me.
The city hall does that and that's enough for me.
If you need GC use another language. Pick the right tool for the right job.