Python for large graph structures (circularity)
Fred L. Drake Jr. (fdrake@csgrad.cs.vt.edu)
21 Apr 1995 00:42:16 -0400
I'll be doing my Masters project this summer, and am considering
using Python as my implementation language. The application is
database management & manipulation pertaining specifically to digital
libraries. In general, I've been very impressed with Python, but am
concerned about the reference counted garbage collection for this
project. My proposal involves manipulating large graphs of objects
from a database of meta-data about the documents in the library.
These graphs are undirected and may often by cyclic. Has anyone used
python to manipulate large cyclic graphs without experiencing memory
leaks?
I can imagine using a dictionary to map tags to the actual objects,
and then working with small intermediate objects in the manipulation
algorithms, and pulling the real data back in once that's done. Does
anyone here have any experience with this approach?
I'd like to hear comments from anyone who has done similar work
previously so that I don't duplicate anything more than necessary.
I'd also like to hear from people who can tell me why they chose NOT
to use Python for such an application. Other languages will
definately be considered to get around the ref. counting problem.
Many thanks in advance!
-Fred
--
http://csgrad.cs.vt.edu/~fdrake/