What is the core driving design of memory management?
The driving design (no pun intended) is a bit like that of stick-shift transmission cars, as opposed to automatic transmission cars. Like a stick-shift car, C++ gives you freedom and control over the machine, but it's not as easy to use as automatic ones that take care of many things for you.
The following could easily have been written about C++ versus Java:
People who drive stick shift cars know the difference and the advantages of
having total control of your car engine; people who drive cars with automatic
transmissions do not. (...) Race cars, for example, do not use automatic
transmissions. (...) People who are used to shifting gears will focus more
on their driving making it more efficient and safe.
http://www.eslbee.com/contrast_stick_shift_or_automatic.htm
I should add, though, that C++ does have some mechanism that handle the memory for you, like others have mentioned, e.g. RAII, smart pointers etc.
