memory protection <memory management> A system to prevent one {process} corrupting the memory (or other resources) of any other, including the {operating system}. Memory protection usually relies on a combination of hardware (a {memory management unit}) and software to allocate memory to processes and handle {exceptions}. The effectiveness of memory protection varies from one operating system to another. In most versions of {Unix} it is almost impossible to corrupt another process' memory, except in some archaic implementations and {Lunix} (not {Linux}!). Under {Microsoft Windows} (version? hardware?) any {16 bit application}(?) can circumvent the memory protection, often leading to one or more {GPFs}. Currently (April 1996) neither {Microsoft Windows} 3.1, {Windows 95}, nor {Mac OS} offer memory protection. {Windows NT} has it, and Mac OS System 8 will offer a form of memory protection. [MS DOS {EMM386} relevant?] (1996-09-10)