Are memory leaks ever ok? [closed]

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No.

As professionals, the question we should not be asking ourselves is, “Is it ever OK to do this?” but rather “Is there ever a good reason to do this?” And “hunting down that memory leak is a pain” isn’t a good reason.

I like to keep things simple. And the simple rule is that my program should have no memory leaks.

That makes my life simple, too. If I detect a memory leak, I eliminate it, rather than run through some elaborate decision tree structure to determine whether it’s an “acceptable” memory leak.

It’s similar to compiler warnings – will the warning be fatal to my particular application? Maybe not.

But it’s ultimately a matter of professional discipline. Tolerating compiler warnings and tolerating memory leaks is a bad habit that will ultimately bite me in the rear.

To take things to an extreme, would it ever be acceptable for a surgeon to leave some piece of operating equipment inside a patient?

Although it is possible that a circumstance could arise where the cost/risk of removing that piece of equipment exceeds the cost/risk of leaving it in, and there could be circumstances where it was harmless, if I saw this question posted on SurgeonOverflow.com and saw any answer other than “no,” it would seriously undermine my confidence in the medical profession.

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If a third party library forced this situation on me, it would lead me to seriously suspect the overall quality of the library in question. It would be as if I test drove a car and found a couple loose washers and nuts in one of the cupholders – it may not be a big deal in itself, but it portrays a lack of commitment to quality, so I would consider alternatives.

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