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Hi,
Ive been reading round about dynamic memory. Apparently it leads to very fragmented memory, so why would you ever use it alot like most programs do?
I mean normally static memory allocation can do the same job and leave less fragmented memory..
Thanks
Alex
Normally being the key word. :) What if you need more memory than the stack can hold? What if using static allocation would blow your executable way out of proportion? What if you don't know the size of something until after it's too late to use the stack or static allocation?Quote:
Originally Posted by appleGuy
Dynamic memory is central to any project worth its name. You will get around it pretty quickly and understand its need better than what we could possibly tell you.
However, the "main" reason dynamic memory exists is exactly because it saves... memory :)
Without it, you would soon find yourself out of stack space (the amount of memory programs are allocated by the operating system when they are fired up). And even if you had unlimited stack space, the only way to fight the problem of not knowing the size of an array, for instance, as Hikaru described, would probably be to create large arrays that could fit all requests. Now... can you imagine the wasted memory?
Finally a word about memory fragmentation. It's no so much a problem these days as it used to be. Operating systems deal with it quiet well. There may be a slight delay to allocate... say an array of 150 bytes, if your remaining memory was so badly fragmented you didn't have a big enough block of free memory. But the operating system will know what to do... more often than not it will call for some more virtual memory.
Here's one fragment from Bruce Eckel's book Thinking in C++:Quote:
Originally Posted by appleGuy
"How many planes will an air-traffic system need to handle? How many shapes will a CAD system use? How many nodes will there be in a network?
To solve the general programming problem, it’s essential that you be able to create and destroy objects at runtime."
As you can see dynamic memory is like necessary evil.
Dynamic memory is only evil to those who do not know how to use it. IMO if you cannot use it you should not be a programmer.
This very line of thinking that dynamic memory is evil or unsafe is why we have crappo virtual machines that supposedly handle memory for you. However the VM only handles it relative to your program and cleans up when it feels the need to do so. Not such a good thing in a cooperative pre-emptive multi-tasking OS.
Fragmentation is really not an issue in most cases. The runtime libraries handle the underlying allocation, and they're quite good at what they do, especially as nowadays each program lives in its own virtual memory space, not a memory space shared by other programs.
Dynamic memory is evil, its just the lesser of the other evils, so its the one which is used when its necessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Just because someone came up with a bad solution doesn't mean that there isn't a problem. It is also the reason why we have the STL and smart pointers.Quote:
This very line of thinking that dynamic memory is evil or unsafe is why we have crappo virtual machines that supposedly handle memory for you.
Hey,
Yeah ive got it now!..
Thanks
Alex
It's fairly simple.
If you use allocate with malloc, de-allocate with free.
If you use new to allocate, de-allocate with delete.
If you allocate an array with new - de-allocate with delete [] ptrArray.
Again I fail to see the problem or evil here.
Ya know here in America it's pretty risky turning left at an intersection with oncoming traffic. I guess you could
either find and alternate route or learn to do it safely.
Just because it can be done incorrectly does not mean it's evil.
Presumably, the term "evil" is meant in the context described here: http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit....html#faq-6.15
Given that, dynamic memory itself is not evil. However, explicit management of the dynamic memory often is evil (by that definition). For example, using dynamic arrays is considered evil because there are usually better, safer solutions.
Dynamic memory isn't evil. People who use dynamic memory are evil. ;)
And I would add footnote [3]
[3] Irresponsibly, that is
Dynamic memory is a cute and sexy. Some people just don't have any manners. That's all