Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!CIM-VAX.HONEYWELL.COM!derstad
From: derstad@CIM-VAX.HONEYWELL.COM ("DAVE ERSTAD")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re:  Memory allocation bug
Message-ID: <8912141634.AA09388@umix.cc.umich.edu>
Date: 12 Dec 89 20:28:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 36

Thanks to all who responded to the memory allocation problem.
Here's a summary of what's going on, which is a combination
of contributed info and further experiments we've done.

1)  There is a problem.  It is a big problem for applications with
    lots of memory use.

2)  The problem is only with PASCAL dynamic memory allocation

3)  The problem goes away at 10.2

4)  At least one of the patches on the November patch tape
    significantly moves the point at which the problem
    occurs for DN4500.  Whichever patch it is, it doesn't
    help DN3000 machines.

5)  The workaround given by Adam Matusiak does solve the 
    problem (uses malloc in place of new) works.

BTW, Apollo has no plans to generate a patch even though
they have known about this for months.  Their solution
is to load 10.2, which doesn't help those of us with
substantial quantities of third party software which
isn't supported under 10.2.

There should be a better way for Apollo to communicate
known bugs of this magnitude to users.  Even if they can't 
generate a patch,  putting a note about this bug in the 
patch tape release notes would help.  

A mention in the 10.2 release notes would have been 
nice as well.

Dave Erstad
Honeywell SSEC
DERSTAD@cim-vax.honeywell.com