malloc and free aren't even a part of C itself. Other than static (globals and "static" the keyword) and automatic (stack) allocation there isn't any memory management in C itself. malloc and free are library functions wrapping system calls. That's something to do with the operating system - the machine itself has NOTHING like malloc and free.
I and many people know C but know fuck all about assembly programming. (for now)
I know gcc provides them for you if you don't specify the right includes, but that's gcc, like.
I think I'm going to go on considering them not technically part of C itself, until I have more information.
Thanks.
Like I said, before a compiler can be certified ANSI C, it must provide the Standard C Library (for whatever platform the compiler is for). As a programmer, you don't have to use the supplied functions, but they are there, and they do comprise a part of the C Standard. And because the functions are defined, the compiler writer can do some pretty neat things.
For instance, include string.h, and that informs the compiler you want to use the string and memory functions defined by the C Standard. The compiler can then generate code directly for, say, memcpy() instead of generating a call to said function (it can inline it, even though C89 made no standard method of inlining a function). Or the function sin() if you include math.h (some CPUs support a single instruction for the sin function). Don't include string.h, and well ... what happens is up to the compiler. Most just give a warning about an undefined function, assume it's defined as "int unknownfunction()" and leave it up to the link phase to either find it or not.
Yes, there is a distinction between the C language, and the C library, but both must be provided if a C compiler wants to conform to the C Standard.
ufo got my point. the modern microprocessor is vastly different than the view of the world that is exposed through C. The fact that C still works is more of a testament to hardware designers than it is something "intrinsically true" about C and its design decisions.