I think one should differentiate between app/tool code and library/plugin/daemon code. A typical tool like git starts, runs for a while and then exits. In this

I think one should differentiate between app/tool code and library/plugin/daemon code. A typical tool like git starts, runs for a while and then exits. In this case worrying too much about memory cleanness is counterproductive. This changes when you are writing a data structure, like say a hashtable. You don't want a hashtable that leaks during operation. It changes when you write a daemon, that runs for a long time, you don't want it to consume all address space. It changes when you write plugins, that get repeatedly loaded and unloaded.