@@ -54,7+54,7 @@ However, if you [run the example](https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mod
## What *is* uninitialized memory?
How is this possible?
## What *is* uninitialized memory?
How is this possible?
-The answer is that, in the "abstract machine" that is used to specify the behavior of our program, every byte in memory cannot just have a value in `0..256` (this is Rust/Ruby syntax for a left-inclusive right-exclusive range), it can also be "uninitialized".
+The answer is that, in the "abstract machine" that is used to specify the behavior of our program, every byte in memory cannot just have a value in `0..256` (this is Rust/Ruby syntax for a left-inclusive right-exclusive range), it can also be "uninitialized".
Memory *remembers* if you initialized it.
The `x` that is passed to `always_return_true` is *not* the 8-bit representation of some number, it is an uninitialized byte.
Performing operations such as comparison on uninitialized bytes is undefined behavior.
Memory *remembers* if you initialized it.
The `x` that is passed to `always_return_true` is *not* the 8-bit representation of some number, it is an uninitialized byte.
Performing operations such as comparison on uninitialized bytes is undefined behavior.
@@ -69,7+69,8 @@ So, one time we "look" at `x` it can be at least 150, and then when we look at i
`x` was just uninitialized all the time.
That explains why our compiled example program behaves the way it does.
`x` was just uninitialized all the time.
That explains why our compiled example program behaves the way it does.
-When thinking about Rust (or C, or C++), you have to imagine that every byte in memory is either initialized to some value in `0..256`, or *uninitialized*.
+When thinking about Rust (or C, or C++), you have to think in terms of an "abstract machine", not the real hardware you are using.
+Imagine that every byte in memory is either initialized to some value in `0..256`, or *uninitialized*.
You can think of memory as storing an `Option<u8>` at every location.[^pointers]
When new memory gets allocated for a local variable (on the stack) or on the heap, there is actually nothing random happening, everything is completely deterministic: every single byte of this memory is marked as *uninitialized*.
Every location stores a `None`.
You can think of memory as storing an `Option<u8>` at every location.[^pointers]
When new memory gets allocated for a local variable (on the stack) or on the heap, there is actually nothing random happening, everything is completely deterministic: every single byte of this memory is marked as *uninitialized*.