Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!apollo!gaz
From: gaz@apollo.COM (Gary Zaidenweber)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Malloc
Message-ID: <3df48c91.52e@apollo.COM>
Date: 19 Aug 88 17:30:00 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, Mass.
Lines: 25

This is not really as big a problem as it seems. The old malloc()
can become a wrapper to the new malloc() which knows how to use
the behavior of the old one when it is called by the wrapper
routine. Only the trap code for the new malloc() is published in
header files, though binaries which call the old trap code get
the former behavior. In some future release of the os, the old
malloc() behavior may be deleted, though it doesn't have to if
its not in the way.

This is really a case of discipline. It starts with the vendor
when they publish the do's and don't's of using system calls.
Please, Atari, begin to enforce this discipline on us (in a 
reasonable way, of course) by providing this kind of fix. We also
have a strict rule on backward compatibility here at Apollo and
we often use the above mechanism to get there. It increases your 
credibility and better code will result from developers.
(note infinite feedback loop here.)

I really hope you guys at Atari (Roy and Allan are the two names
I remember) are feeding this back into your market research
group. Good luck to you and us.
-- 
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    Its never too late to have a happy childhood!