A new C technical specification (ISO/IEC TS 6010) defines pointer provenance to clarify ambiguous aliasing rules.
Pointer aliasing affects compiler optimizations and can lead to hidden bugs if pointer origins are not well defined.
Memory is divided into storage instances (allocations or variable definitions) and each pointer’s provenance is tied to its storage instance.
Pointers become exposed when their bit representation is accessed, cast to integers, or printed, preventing optimizations based on provenance.
Synthesized pointers rebuilt from integer or partial byte manipulations require prior exposure and lose their original provenance.
An abstract address space maps pointers to integer addresses, making pointer comparisons and conversions consistent.
Ambiguities with adjacent memory regions are resolved by interpreting pointer arithmetic to choose the correct storage provenance.
Programmers can ensure reliable alias analysis by avoiding pointer exposure: no raw byte access, integer casts, or misuse of aliasing features.
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