Computer memory garbage collection/Talk

determine what data objects in a program cannot possibly be needed; throw them away. Is this correct? My understanding of copying collection is that nothing is actually thrown away, but rather that reachable objects are explicitly kept. If that is the case, then wouldn't that phrasing be a bit misleading? --maw?

The storage used by the objects that are collected is reclaimed by some means, presumably to be used again for the creation of fresh objects. Thrown away is too imprecise, will edit. --drj