Memory leaks in JavaScript: What are they, how to spot them, how to create them
<p>I've just been helping out with some interviews for a new developer and JavaScript is a major part of my role and the role we're recruiting for. To be honest the candidate wasn't that good and he didn't really understand JavaScript however in the interview he confused JavaScript with C# and started to discuss memory leaks in JS. I wanted to intervene however it was at that point I realised how little I know about memory leaks in JS apart from the fact they use up lots of memory and slow things down. </p>

<p>When thinking about it during the interview the only thing I can remember is OReilly's Def Guide (think it was the fourth edition) mentioning Mark and Sweep Garbage Collections. But that has been fading ever since I read that and I can't really expand on that. I've found very little on this subject that's clear and concise (apart from an article by Crockford by that wasn’t that clear).</p>

<p>Can someone please sum up as simply as possible: What are memory leaks in JS, how we can spot them, how to create them - I've been writing JS for years and this has totally knocked my knowledge and confidence as I've never really thought about it!</p>
