cyclone/gc-notes.txt

Phase 1 (gc-dev) - Add gc.h, make sure it compiles.
Phase 2 (gc-dev2) - Change how strings are allocated, to clean up the code and be compatible with a new GC algorithm.
Phase 3 (gc-dev3) - Change from using a Cheney-style copying collector to a naive mark&sweep algorithm.
Phase 4 (gc-dev4) - Integrating new tracing GC algorithm, added new thread data argument to runtime.
Phase 5 (gc-dev5) - Require pthreads library, stand cyclone back up using new GC algorithm.

memory corruption
 - noticed that an object may be allocated with the old mark color, and then freed before it
   can be marked, even though it is part of a global list.
   what might be happening is that the new heap obj is part of the global list, but the minor
   GC only marks gc-cont/gc-args, which this is not part of. and the globals are already marked
   at that point by the collector thread, so no one is around to mark this object.
   wait a minute - but how does the obj even get on the heap? see this - if above was true there would be no ref to move this to the heap, right? so what is going on?? ->
alloc 0xb78400e0 size = 32, obj=0xbffcd648, tag=0, mark=1

TODO:
- need to fix memory corruption bugs
- need to cooperate when a mutator is blocked
- need an intelligent scheduling of GC, instead of just constantly running it
- add_mutation will need to be brought into thread local data. 
- probably exceptions too. anything else?
- multiple mutators, and threading functions/types.  probably want this on a new branch, when ready