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diff --git a/zola-static/content/blog/emacs-garbage-collection.md b/zola-static/content/blog/emacs-garbage-collection.md deleted file mode 100644 index 26cf5d9..0000000 --- a/zola-static/content/blog/emacs-garbage-collection.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,43 +0,0 @@ -+++ -title = "A Solution to Emacs Garbage Collection Stutters" -date = 2025-05-12 -updated = 2025-05-14 -+++ - -The more you load Emacs up with packages, the more it starts to chug. Throw on a theme and an lsp client, and you might start to notice frequent stuttering. - -This problem was very frustrating for me - I want to be able to hold `C-n` and linearly move down the document, micro-stutter *free*. I spent weeks searching for the problem, and considered quitting Emacs altogether. - -# Garbage Collection -It turns out that the problem wasn't that packages were executing slowly, it was the garbage that they were building up. - -Emacs' garbage collector waits until a byte threshold (the `gc-cons-threshold` variable) has been reached before executing. Its default value feels relatively low for a modern computer - only `800KB`. This results in frequent garbage collections, each causing a small stutter. Luckily, as with most things in Emacs, you can tune this behaviour. -> If you want to see how frequently the GC is triggered, try setting `garbage-collection-messages` to non nil (you might be surprised). - -Opinions on the ideal solution differ. -- Some people recommend **increasing** the threshold, leading to longer times without triggering the GC but longer stutters. -- Others recommend **lowering** the threshold, causing more frequent GC triggers but smaller stutters. -- The minibuffer (especially with packages like `vertico`) can use a lot of memory, so some [recommend](https://bling.github.io/blog/2016/01/18/why-are-you-changing-gc-cons-threshold/) increasing the threshold only when using it. - -# The Solution -In my opinion, the best solution is to garbage collect **when idle**. When editing, you're often pausing briefly - and if there is little garbage, Emacs can collect it very quickly. -I also *basically* disable the threshold entirely when in the minibuffer. Here's the code from my `init.el`. - -```lisp -(defun my-minibuffer-setup-hook () - (setq gc-cons-threshold most-positive-fixnum)) - -(defun my-minibuffer-exit-hook () - (setq gc-cons-threshold 800000000)) - -(setq gc-cons-threshold most-positive-fixnum) - -(run-with-idle-timer 1.2 t 'garbage-collect) -``` - -I have been using this for a few months and it's worked perfectly. I've tried my best to notice the garbage collections, I haven't been able to. - -> There is a package for this, called [the Garbage Collector Magic Hack](https://github.com/emacsmirror/gcmh). Personally I prefer a lower idle time than its default, and I like keeping it in my own config. - -# Update: IGC Branch -After posting this article, [some users on reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/emacs/comments/1km1by3/comment/ms750w3/) informed me that there is an [Emacs branch](https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/tree/README-IGC?h=feature/igc#n1) in development which greatly improves the garbage collector efficiency. People are saying that it has completely eliminated their stutters. I recommend trying it out. |