C++ : Free-store versus Heap

What's the difference between the heap and the free-store? The C++ Programming Language keeps on referring them interchangeably. There was as huge cry over this issue in C/C++ programmer's community in Orkut. I had to shoot a mail to Dr. Bjarne Stroustrup. Here's our conversation:

My Mail:

Dear Mr Stroustrup,

Sorry to disturb you again. You have mentioned several times in the TC++PL that 'new' allocates memory from the 'free store (or heap)'. There has been a huge cry on the C++ community at Orkut (that I am moderating) as to whether free-store is the same as heap. The argument given against is that Mr Herb Sutter has mentioned that the free-store is different from the heap:

http://www.gotw.ca/gotw/009.htm

and that global 'new' has nothing to do with the heap.

So, if so, why has TC++PL used 'free store (or heap)' instead of mentioning the use of 'heap' separately.

Waiting anxiously for the response.

Regards,
Zaman Bakshi

His Reply:

Note that Herb says: "Note about Heap vs. Free Store: We distinguish between "heap" and "free store" because the draft deliberately leaves unspecified the question of whether these two areas are related. For example, when memory is deallocated via operator delete, 18.4.1.1 states:"

In other word, the "free store" vs "heap" distinction is Herb's attempt to distinguish malloc() allocation from new allocation.

>
> So, if so, why has TC++PL used 'free store (or heap)' instead of
> mentioning the use of 'heap' separately.

Because even though it is undefined from where new and malloc() get their memory, they typically get them from exactly the same place. It is common for new and malloc() to allocate and free storage from the same part of the computer's memory. In that case, "free store" and "heap" are synonyms. I consistently use "free store" and "heap" is not a defined term in the C++ standard (outside the heap standard library algorithms, which are unrelated to new and malloc()). In relation to new, "heap" is simply a word someone uses (typically as a synonym to "free store") - usually because they come from a different language background.


My Reply:

Thank you Mr. Stroustrup, I had inferred the same thing (about using free store as general -- or better, synonym -- term) and had explained the community. But, I had been requested to reconfirm.

With warm regards,
Zaman Bakshi