| Abstract: | Icon is a new programming language designed primarily for non-numerical applications. Its roots are in SNOBOL4 and SL5; as in those languages, execution-time flexibility is an important attribute of Icon, although some aspects of programs are bound at compile time to improve efficiency. Icon, which is implemented in Ratfor, is also intended to be portable and suitable for 16-bit computers. The storage management system in Icon is designed to meet the goals of portability, flexibility and efficiency. This is accomplished by subdividing the storage management system into a set of type-specific storage management subsystems. This paper describes the implementation of these subsystems, their interaction, and their performance. |
