Abstract: Short-quasi-unique-identifiers (SQUIDs) are generated and assigned to the data objects stored in memory. Pointers to a particular data object contain the data object's assigned SQUID. If a data object is moved to a second allocated memory segment, a new pointer to the second allocated memory segment is placed at the original memory segment, so that any pointers to the original memory segment now point to the new pointer. The distribution of SQUIDs is uniform. SQUIDs can be generated by counting, generated randomly, generating through some hashing mechanism, or other means. In comparing two different pointers, it is determined that the two pointers do not reference the same data object if the SQUIDs are different. On the other hand, if the SQUIDs are identical and the address fields of the two pointers are identical, then the two pointers reference the same data object.

Abstract: A pointer representation includes a permission field to define capabilities of the system in processing the data to which an address in the pointer of representation points. Bounds of the memory segment to which the capabilities apply are defined by a block field, which defines a block size, and a length field, which defines a number of blocks of that size within the segment of memory. To permit computation of the full range of addresses to which the capability applies, a finger field is included to denote the block of the segment of memory to which the address points. An increment-only bit may cause the system to preclude any negative offsets from the address in the pointer representation. Subsegments within a segment may be further defined by additional block, length and finger fields.