Thread: Freeing memory

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    Registered User C_ntua's Avatar
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    Freeing memory

    1) When a program ends and you haven't freed you dynamically allocated memory, what are the consequenses? Does the program free memory when main returns? Does it try to and hope for the best? Will it try to if it crashes?

    2) Another question about memory. How do languages that have a garbage collect, like Java, but don't let you free memory, manage memory? Do they wait for the object not to be used anymore, so no harm done? Is that possible? Do the use a more sophisticated way?
    Would there be a benefit of having the ability to manually free memory in languages like Java, or they do the work for you without disadvantages? If they have disadvantages what are those?

    Thanx!

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    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    1) When a program ends and you haven't freed you dynamically allocated memory, what are the consequenses? Does the program free memory when main returns? Does it try to and hope for the best? Will it try to if it crashes?
    It depends on the platform, but typically the operating system will release the memory allocated for the process.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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    Quote Originally Posted by C_ntua View Post
    1) When a program ends and you haven't freed you dynamically allocated memory, what are the consequenses? Does the program free memory when main returns? Does it try to and hope for the best? Will it try to if it crashes?
    All memory for a program is freed* when one of the following happens:
    - The program exits.
    - The program crashes.
    You don't get any consequences in the OS for not doing so, but you may get consequences in your code for doing so.
    * This assumes we're talking about a modern OS.
    Is it a good idea to do so? Most on cboard considers it bad practice.
    For C, you can probably get away with it.
    In other languages, such as C++, it's even worse.
    In other words: don't rely on it. Free all your memory.

    2) Another question about memory. How do languages that have a garbage collect, like Java, but don't let you free memory, manage memory? Do they wait for the object not to be used anymore, so no harm done? Is that possible? Do the use a more sophisticated way?
    Usually, thread run a thread in the background that wakes after a certain period of time and starts checking for any unused memory and frees it.
    Some garbage collectors can work in other ways, such as checking and releasing memory after each allocation.

    Would there be a benefit of having the ability to manually free memory in languages like Java, or they do the work for you without disadvantages? If they have disadvantages what are those?
    The benefit would perhaps be lower memory consumption.
    The disadvantage would be that the garbage compiler would become more complex and you may not really use this feature as it (mostly) defies the use of a garbage compiler.

    Unlike C, many of today's languages (including C++) have ways to avoid having explicitly free memory you allocate.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    Ugly C Lover audinue's Avatar
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    Usually, thread run a thread in the background that wakes after a certain period of time and starts checking for any unused memory and frees it.
    How about a garbage collector that freeing memory based on code-blocks (just like Pascal/Delphi)?

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    Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of methods for garbage collectors. I only know a few. Or maybe two. That I can think of, but there are definitely more.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    I usually initialize all my data structure pointers to null. Then if an error occurs I first print an error message, and then call a killall function that releases the memory. eg suppose there is a data structure called 'mesh'

    Code:
    typedef struct mesh
    {
      int ntri, int nvert;
      triangle *tri; /* triangle array */
      vector *vert;  /* vertex array */
    }mesh;
    
    mesh *m_ptr;

    Code:
    void killall()
    {
      killmesh();
      ...
      ...
    }
    
    void killmesh()
    {
       if (m_ptr != NULL)
       {
          if (m_ptr->vert != NULL)
          {
             free(m_ptr->vert);
          }
          if (m_ptr->tri != NULL)
         {
            free(m_ptr->tri);
         }
         free(m_ptr);
       }
    }

    I've heard that in situations like this if you directly free memory of m_ptr for eg. without freeing m_ptr->vert and m_ptr->tri, it can result in memory leaks.
    Last edited by broli86; 06-28-2008 at 11:58 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by broli86 View Post
    I've heard that in situations like thsi if you directly free memory of m_ptr for eg. without freeing m_ptr->vert and m_ptr->tri, it can result in memory leaks.
    It does result in leaks. Freeing the base pointer does not automatically free the pointers inside the struct.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Elysia View Post
    It does result in leaks. Freeing the base pointer does not automatically free the pointers inside the struct.
    Ok but then I guess you can't do anything about the ints which are inside the struct because they were not allocated by the user but by the OS.

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    You only free what you allocate with malloc.
    The ints are freed by your free on the base pointer.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  10. #10
    Registered User C_ntua's Avatar
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    More precisely I believe that you free everything that the pointer points (or the memory block it points to). The pointer itself is also freed by the base pointer

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    The pointer itself is stored on the stack so it cannot be freed.
    It simply frees the entire memory block that the pointer points to.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  12. #12
    Registered User C_ntua's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Elysia View Post
    The pointer itself is stored on the stack so it cannot be freed.
    It simply frees the entire memory block that the pointer points to.
    Aha, didn't know that. So, since you mentioned it, is every pointer declared on the stack or the pointers that allocate memory? Or do I have it all wrong?

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    A pointer is a variable.
    Therefore it is stored on the stack.
    A pointer is a variable that stores an address.
    An address to the memory block allocated (in the case of malloc).
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by laserlight View Post
    It depends on the platform, but typically the operating system will release the memory allocated for the process.
    What about Shared Memory though? I think that would stay reserved wouldn't it?
    Using shmat(), shmget(), shmdt()... and all the Windows equivalents?

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    That would be unlikely wouldn't it?
    A process must own the shared memory, the creator. So if it dies, then it must disappear.
    Otherwise the OS would continue eating memory...
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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