malloc changes

[Matthew Dillon]

:
:FYI,
:
:FreeBSD just imported a new malloc to replace the aged 
:phkmalloc.
:
:There was much back and forth with the author and David Xu
:so he might have an opinion as to whether the changes in the
:FreeBSD malloc are worth looking into.
:
:The new malloc is not derived from the phkmalloc so likely
:these changes would not apply.  Many of the features are
:similar, except the new jemalloc was engineered with true
:concurrent threaded applications in mind.

   I've been following that thread in the FreeBSD groups.
   We will definitely *NOT* going to be importing FreeBSD's
   new malloc.

   My feeling is that if a threaded program allocates so much
   data that a fast MP-safe malloc is required, then we should
   simply port the slab allocator from the DragonFly kernel to
   userland and use that.

   For now its not on the table.  The current proposed malloc
   changes for DragonFly IS on the table and I do want to see
   it committed, but I'd appreciate it if some GUI users could
   test it out with e.g. mozilla, X, and so forth, first.

					-Matt
					Matthew Dillon 
					<dillon at xxxxxxxxxxxxx>