On 4/16/2014 4:34 PM, Jason Iannone wrote:
I can't cite chapter and verse but I seem to remember this zeroing problem was solved decades ago by just introducing a bit which said this chunk of memory or disk is new (to this process) and not zeroed but if there's any attempt to actually access it then read it back as if it were filled with zeros, or alternatively zero it.
Isn't that a result of the language? Low level languages give that power to the author rather than assuming any responsibility. Hacker News had a fairly in-depth discussion regarding the nature of C with some convincing opinions as to why it's not exactly the right tool to build this sort of system with. The gist, forcing the author of a monster like OpenSSL to manage memory is a problem.
I dropped out of the discussion because I couldn't get a foot-hold, but I would like to know this: If the hardware (as has been suggested) or the OS does any of this, how do diagnostic routine in or running under the OS work? -- Requiescas in pace o email Two identifying characteristics of System Administrators: Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Infallibility, and the ability to learn from their mistakes. (Adapted from Stephen Pinker)