In RVCT v2.0, when the ::operator new function runs out of memory, it raises the signal SIGOUTOFHEAP, instead of throwing a C++ exception. See Signal functions for more details.

In RVCT v2.1 ::operator new(std::size_t) throws when memory allocation fails, in accordance with the ISO C++ Standard, rather than raising a signal. If the exception is not caught, std::terminate() is called. The compiler option --force_new_nothrow turns all new calls in a compilation into calls to ::operator new(std::size_t, std::nothrow_t&) or :operator new[](std::size_t, std::nothrow_t&). However, this does not affect operator new calls in libraries, nor calls to any class-specific operator new. It is possible to install a new_handler which raises a signal, to restore the RVCT v2.0 behavior.

See C++ Language configuration and object generation for a description of the --force_new_nothrow option.