Page History

Since JDK 1.2, the generational garbage collector has reduced memory allocation costs to low levels, in many cases lower than C or C++. Generational garbage collection reduces garbage collection costs by grouping objects into generations. The _younger generation_ consists of short-lived objects. The GC performs a minor collection on the younger generation when it fills up with dead objects \[[Oracle 2010a|AA. Bibliography#Oracle 10a]\]. Improved garbage collection algorithms have reduced the cost of garbage collection  so that it is proportional to the number of _live_ objects in the _younger generation_, rather than to the _total_ number of objects allocated since the last garbage collection. 

Note that objects in the _younger generation_ that persist for longer durations are _tenured_ and are moved to the _tenured generation_. Few _younger generation_ objects continue to live through to the next garbage collection cycle. The rest become ready to be collected in the impending collection cycle \[[Oracle 2010a|AA. Bibliography#Oracle 10a]\].