programmingnoob

Describe a method for dynamic or heal memory allocation/deallocation which a compiler can use for implementing the new and delete functions of c++.

I am confused about what the question is asking (what method they talking about?) I dont want a solution yet

a thing

This belongs in the C++ forum.

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programmingnoob

umm not necessarily, because this question is not from a c++ class.
but yeah that may depend on how you interpret "method"

Jimbo

I would interpret method to be like an algorithm for handling allocation and deallocation.

Narue

>what method they talking about?
I hate the term method for class functions. It's confusing when method could mean other things, like an algorithm, or a concept (which is what the question seems to be talking about). In fact, C++ terminology uses the term "member function" rather than method, and I encourage you to think that way as well to save yourself headaches.

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stevengs

That's odd, because in Germany we are taught that they are methods, I had assumed, to differentiate them from c functions. (Deutsch: Methoden) A class has attributes and methods... etc.

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Narue

>That's odd, because in Germany we are taught that they are methods
My German is rather weak, so I can't see how "member function" could be translated improperly to "method". The C++ standard makes no mention of methods, but explicitly uses member functions, so the terminology is official. Most likely you were taught by someone who mistakenly used OO terminology instead of proper C++ terminology. The "correct" term in the OO paradigm is method. Of course, it's well established that C++ is not a strict OO language, and using OO terms where they don't apply would confuse the bejeezus out of everyone. This thread being a good example.

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bl00dninja

are they wanting you to make clever use of malloc and free and such???

(basically write new and delete)

...?

?

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grumpy

Now that this question has sent people down an excursion of OO-speak (in which "method" is roughly the equivalent of the term "member function" in the C++ standard) and associated mumbo-jumbo, I'll offer a different meaning of "method".

One of the definitions of "method" in the English dictionary (a book that associates words with their meaning in the English language) is "a way of doing something".

Which suggests that an alternate way of wording the question would be "If you were writing a C++ compiler, describe a technique that could be used to manage dynamic memory allocation so you could implement operators new and delete."

English is a wonderful language sometimes. Too bad few computer programmers actually understand it.

rsnd

If im not mistaken, 'new' and 'delete' are operators which takes the size of the guest object and allocates that ammount of memory from heap and dellocates etc and returns its address...your CRT takes care of this stuff.

You can relate them directly to malloc and free. Typically they work with OS to map large ammounts of memory to your application space at startup and then gives you addresses from that space when you call malloc etc.

So when it says "a method for dynamic or heap memory allocation/deallocation which a compiler..." its probably asking you to advise an algorithm to do that. For example
int x[] = new int[500]; is similar to something like int x[] = (int[500]*)malloc(sizeof(int[500]));
There would probably be some checks for if malloc returned 0 or something...these are related to "good practices."

You could test out concepts simply by overloading these operators...they go like new:
void * __attribute__((cdecl))__ new ( size_t size) ... you get the point

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