[forkerenok]

If you squint hard enough, this is an implementation of a higher order garbage collection: MarkNothingAndSweepEverything.

There, formalized the approach, so you can't call it terrible anymore.

[crabbone]

Oh no it isn't. Garbage collector needs to prove that what's being collected is garbage. If objects get collected because of an error... that's not really how you want GC to work.

If you are looking for an apt metaphor, Stalin sort might be more in line with what's going on here. Or maybe "ostrich algorithm".

[zoky]

I think it’s more like Tech Support Sort, as in “Try turning it off and on again and see if it’s sorted”.

[nukethegrbj]

>Garbage collector needs to prove that what's being collected is garbage

Some collectors may need to do this, but there are several collectors that don't. EpsilonGC is a prime example of a GC that doesen't need to prove anything