Unix Stack Frame Questions

Jeff Hollingsworth hollings at poona.cs.wisc.edu
Tue Apr 9 01:00:41 AEST 1991


In article <3035 at cirrusl.UUCP>, dhesi%cirrusl at oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) writes:
|> In <19157 at rpp386.cactus.org> jfh at rpp386.cactus.org (John F Haugh II) writes:
|> 
|> >>But a stack frame seems to be the most efficient way of dealing with
|> >>calls and returns.
|> 
|> >No, there are =many= better ways.
|> 
|> BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....
|> 
|> A "stack frame" is the ONLY way of dealing with calls and returns *if
|> they may be recursive*.
|> 

The better term here is activation record.  An activation record (even with recursion)
need not be on the stack.  You can have activation records as linked lists in the heap.

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