add refcounting idea

README.md

@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@
 
 [JIT-compiled signal graph for the audio engine](#jit-compiled-signal-graph-for-the-audio-engine)
 
+[Use ref-counting to handle object lifetimes](use-ref-counting-to-handle-object-lifetimes)
+
+
 Inject Purr Data Directly into the Web
 --------------------------------------
 
@@ -557,3 +560,34 @@ DSP graph itself.
 
 ### Languages
 C++. Knowledge of LLVM will also come in handy here.
+
+Use ref-counting to handle object lifetimes
+-------------------------------------------
+
+### Goal
+Use ref-counting to track object lifetimes in a more robust manner.
+
+### Details
+Currently there are many places in the message dispatching system where an
+object may disappear before a message bound for it gets dispatched. This,
+along with dynamic patching and arbitrary patch loading can easily cause
+Purr Data to crash.
+
+Additionally, this limits the possibility for reporting errors from within
+a given call stack. Currently we have no way to know if any of the objects
+participating in a given call still exist at the time of an error. This
+means we're limited to checking after the fact for any signs of mutation
+at error time, and then simply refusing to trace in that case. That prevents
+valuable analytical data for the most complex error cases.
+
+### Challenges
+There aren't currently any tests for the cases where attempting to
+dereference a pointer to a freed object causes a crash. Also, there are
+two "stacks"-- one is the messaging system proper. The other is the
+loading mechanism used to open a file or abstraction.
+
+Additionally, Purr Data has a binding system which can dynamically bind
+or unbind symbols even within a single call stack.
+
+### Languages
+C.