Borrow checking, RC, GC, and the Eleven (!) Other Memory Safety Approaches

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2024-04-24 17:00:38

I've gotten so used to it that it's not surprising to me anymore, so it's always a delight to vicariously feel people's surprise when I tell them this.

At this point, I likely told him some nonsense like "I just kept my eyes open and collected them over the years!" but I think that you, my dear reader, deserve to know the truth! 2

This article is the introduction to my secret collection of memory safety techniques, which I call the memory safety grimoire.

With this wisdom, one can see the vast hidden landscape of memory safety, get a hint about where the programming world might head in the next decades, and even design new memory safety approaches. 3

And I'd bet that someone on reddit or HN will comment on some I haven't heard before, and I'll have to change the title and add to the list!

However, those of weak wills should be careful not to read grimoires... they might end up pursuing the dark arts for years.