[fpc-devel] compile time memory leak detection

[Nikolai Zhubr]

19.01.2010 12:31, Jonas Maebe:
>> Does FPC know how to find this places on compile time and at least
>> issue a
>> warning about it ?
>
> No, it doesn't. In principle, the compiler can't even be sure that you
> haven't replaced the default memory manager with e.g. some
> garbage-collector-style memory manager similar to Boehm GC, in which
> case such warnings would be wrong.
May I put it a bit other way?
Would it be possible/feasable to introduce some (optional) restrictions 
and/or extensions to pointer-related syntax and/or pointer-related parts 
of RTL so as to completely ensure safety if pointer operations?

This would probably include:
- guaranree that dynamically allocated will not be silently lost (leak)
- guaranree that dynamically allocated mem will not be disposed twice;
- guarantee that dynamically allocated mem will not be accessed beyond 
the respective allocation size.

I'd guess this would require huge work and substantial modifications to 
the language though. And probably, this is not possible without GC, and
I don't like GCs anyway :)

Nikolai

>
>
> Jonas
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