Write a program that calls malloc() several times until all memory is exhausted.

Question

Write a program that calls malloc() several times until all memory is exhausted. Make sure you call assert() immediately after you call malloc()

Explanation / Answer

some_small_struct *ptr=(some_small_struct *) malloc(sizeof(some_small_struct)); ptr->some_member= ...; In words, I allocate dynamically memory for a small structure and I use it directly without checking the malloc'ed pointer. I understand there is always a chance that the program won't get the memory it asks for (duh!) but consider the following: If the program can't even get some memory for a small structure off the heap, maybe there are much bigger problems looming and it doesn't matter after all. Furthermore, what if handling the null pointer exacerbates the precarious situation even more?? (e.g. trying to log the condition calls even more non-existing resources etc.) Is my reasoning sane (enough) ? Updated: A "safe_malloc" function can be useful when debugging and might be useful otherwise +X access can hide the root cause of a NULL pointer On Linux, "optimistic memory allocation" can shadow loomin OOM (Out-Of-Memory) conditions

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