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Features Comparison

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Compare with Standard C++ Language & Boost C++ Libraries
Compare with Microsoft .NET framework
Compare with Sun Microsystems Java2 HotSpot
Compare with Boehm-Demers-Weiser conservative garbage collector
Table of Features Comparison

Compare with Standard C++ Language & Boost C++ Libraries

Advantage:
    Automatically collect circular-referenced garbage;
    Small object allocation is faster than standard C++;
    Reclaims multiple objects in one go, less synchronization cost;
    Object Pool provides fast linear allocation speed;
    Convenient API for Serialization;
    Enhanced cyclic-collectable COM;
    No stack overflow issue of nested destructions for reference counting, as boost::shared_ptr and boost::intrusive_ptr;

Disadvantage:
Extra cost on some smart pointer operations, such as pointer assignment;
Must upgrade C++ classes and pointers to managed version;

Compare with Microsoft .NET framework

Advantage:
    Pauseless, block-free, no suspension and interruption from garbage collector;
    Immediately reclaim objects that lost all references;
    Allow multiple-inheritance, object as member variables or elements of array;
    Faster and convenient communications with native code, no need to "pin" an object;
    All HnxGC pointers can point to the interior of an object, better than cli::interior_ptr;
    Object reclamation ordering control API;
    Provide delay-destructing, thread associated destructing API;
    Faster for medium or large objects, more than x100 times faster in some cases;
    (Object Pool provides linear allocation for small objects, the speed can reach the same degree of .NET framework);
    Introduce SubHeap concept to fast collect garbage within a group of objects;
    Enhanced cyclic-collectable COM;
    More choices of different compilers, no VM requirement on target platforms;

Disadvantage:
Extra cost on some smart pointer operations, such as pointer assignment;

Compare with Sun Microsystems Java2 HotSpot

Advantage:
    Pauseless, block-free, no suspension and interruption from garbage collector;
    Immediately reclaim objects that lost all references;
    Allow multiple-inheritance, object as member variables or elements of array;
    All HnxGC pointers can point to the interior of an object;
    Object reclamation ordering control API;
    Provide delay-destructing, thread associated destructing API;
    Object Pool provides linear allocation for small objects, run faster;
    SubHeap concept to trace references within a group of objects;
    Directly precompiled into target machine code, run faster;
    Faster and convenient communications to/from native code;
    Enhanced cyclic-collectable COM;

Disadvantage:
Extra cost on some smart pointer operations, such as pointer assignment;

Compare with Boehm-Demers-Weiser conservative garbage collector

Advantage:
    Pauseless, block-free, no suspension and interruption from garbage collector;
    Immediately reclaim objects that lost all references;
    Object reclamation ordering control API;
    Provide delay-destructing, thread associated destructing API;
    Faster for medium or large objects;
    Object Pool provides linear allocation for small objects, run faster;
    SubHeap concept to trace references within a group of objects;
    Convenient API for Serialization;
    Enhanced cyclic-collectable COM;
    no VM requirement on target platforms;

Disadvantage:
Extra cost on some smart pointer operations, such as pointer assignment;
Must upgrade C++ classes and pointers to managed version;

Table of Features Comparison

Feature List	HnxGC	C/C++	.NET	BDW	Java	Boost
Collect Cyclic Garbage	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Reference Counting	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
Multiple-Inheritance	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Object As Member Variables	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Object As Array Elements	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Pauseless, Block-Free, No Suspension	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Interior Pointer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Raw (Native) Access	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Reclamation Ordering Control	Yes	-	No	No	No	-
Resurrection	Yes	-	Yes	Yes	Yes	-
Delay-Destructing	Yes	-	-	-	-	No
Thread Associated Destructing	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Serialization	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Collect Cyclic COM Object	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Support RAII Convention	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	-
Union, Hidden Pointer	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Exception	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	Yes	-
Template of Managed Object	Yes	Yes	-	Yes	No	Yes
Require VM on Platform	No	No	Yes	Yes	-	No
Need Cooperative C++ Compiler	No	No	Yes	No	-	No
Linear Allocation Speed	Yes	No	Yes	No	-	No
Sub Heap GC	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Precompiled to Machine Code	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Nested Destructions Issue	No	-	-	-	-	Yes
Need Upgrade Source Code	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Cost on Pointer Assignment	Yes	No	No	No	-	Yes

See Also:
Performance Benchmarks
Features of HnxGC