An Introduction to the Workspace - Secrets of the Interpreter

Explore the inner workings of the Dyalog APL interpreter's workspace management in this 21-minute conference talk from Dyalog '23. Delve into the secrets of workspace allocation, pocket algorithms, and memory structures. Learn about array, symbol, and code pockets, as well as the execution stack and reference counting. Understand garbage collection, pocket compression, and workspace compaction processes. Discover techniques for reducing workspace allocation and tools for analyzing memory management. Gain valuable insights that can help optimize your applications for size and performance in Dyalog APL.

About the workspace
Workspace allocation
What goes into the workspace?
Pocket allocation algorithm
The structure of a pocket
Array pockets
Symbol pockets assigned names
Code pockets
Execution stack
Reference counts
Garbage collection
Pocket compression
Workspace compaction and sediment
Workspace expansion
Reducing workspace allocation
Tools for analysing workspace memory management
Summary