Bugtraq mailing list archives
dynamic memory allocation considered beneficial
From: wietse () PORCUPINE ORG (Wietse Venema)
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 15:51:13 -0500
D. J. Bernstein writes:
Dynamic allocation _saves_ memory. If you've set aside a 4096-byte static buffer for a line of text that's only 60 bytes long, for example, then you're wasting four thousand bytes of memory. Do the same thing in fifty different functions, in ten running programs, and suddenly you've wasted two megabytes of memory. Poor engineering. Ever wonder why your system is swapping? It is much better to give those 2 megabytes back to the user. That's exactly what dynamic allocation does: your program grabs only as much memory as it needs.
For the record, up to this point I am in full agreement with Mr. Bernstein. We differ in opinion on details, namely how to control the total amount of memory that a process can grab in this manner. And, I suppose, we differ in opinion on a couple other things too. But none of the differences is worth discussion. Wietse
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- dynamic memory allocation considered beneficial Wietse Venema (Mar 05)