Comment by arghwhat
10 hours ago
Rust does not have a garbage collector in any way or form. It's just automatic memory like we're used to (e.g., stack in C++), with the compiler injecting free/drop when an object goes out of scope.
What Rust brings is ownership with very extensive lifecycle tracking, but that is a guard rail that gives compile-time failures, not something that powers memory management.
(If you consider the presence of Rc<T> to make Rust garbage collected, then so is C garbage collected as developers often add refcounting to their structs.)
> so is C garbage collected as developers often add refcounting to their structs.
Absolutely, C also can use a garbage collector. Obviously you can make any programming language do whatever you want if you are willing to implement the necessary pieces. That isn't any kind of revelation. It is all just 1s and 0s in the end. C, however, does not come with an expectation of it being provided. For all practical purposes you are going to have to implement it yourself or use some kind of third-party solution.
The difference with Limbo and Rust is that they include reference counting GCs out of the box. It is not just something you have the option of bolting onto the side if you are willing to put in the effort. It is something that is already there to use from day one.