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From: time@tbomb.ice.com (Tim Endres)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: malloc() in Think C programming on the Mac
Message-ID: <1CE00001.m1ny6l@tbomb.ice.com>
Date: 28 Jan 91 12:12:23 GMT
Reply-To: time@ice.com
Organization: ICE Engineering, Inc.
Lines: 32
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.0.5+


In article <665.27A42DD4@stjhmc.fidonet.org>, Chris.Gehlker@p12.f56.n114.z1.fidonet.org (Chris Gehlker) writes:
> EW> I've been using NewPtr() and NewHandle() instead of malloc(). 
> EW> Does any ``real'' Mac programmer know what we are really suppose 
> EW> to use, especially for programs that really beat on garbage collectors?
> 
> I NEVER use malloc().
>  

Using NewPtr() to allocate hundreds of 8 byte objects is not very
efficient on the Macintosh. This may not make any difference on your
weekend programming project, but for commercial or other serious work,
it is a real problem.

We have a version of malloc written here at ICE specifically for the
Macintosh. It is really nice and uses "pools" allowing me to separate
the areas in which memory is allocated. This also solves "leak" problems,
as I can allocate "leaky" objects in one specific pool, then at some
predetermined time free the entire pool and not worry about freeing
individual objects!

We are considering posting this code to the net. Anyone interested?
If so, it will take time to document the code and clean it up for
release, so it won't happen soon, but it won't happen at all if there
is little interest.

tim.

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