Re: cell

[Michael Livshin]

Martin Grabmueller <address@hidden> writes:

> The manual is not quite up-to-date wrt cells.  It's right that most
> objects have a two-word header, but in the meantime so-called `double
> cells' have been introduced, which are four-word cells.  They are used
> for some data types (such as real numbers IIRC) to avoid an extra
> memory reference when accessing the data portion of an object.

true.  but double cells can (nay, should) be viewed as a mere
optimization.

it's important to not overexpose the Guile internals in the reference
manual (or any user manual).

it's fine to write "smob objects have a two-word header and (maybe)
data".  but explaining, in the _user_ documentation, that all
non-immediate Guile objects have a header cell and (maybe) data is
IMHO not very useful -- if tomorrow someone decides to write, say, a
mostly-copying allocator for Guile, then these things will change.

-- 
This code is a piece of crap! You have no honor!
                                        -- Klingon Programmer