Re: [Bug-gsl] memory leak problem with matrices

[Sergey Plis]

Brian Gough wrote:
> At Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:57:33 -0600,
> Sergey Plis wrote:
>   
> > What I see is the following:
> > When two programs are run in sequence with first having the memory freed 
> > before the second even starts, I do not see the memory being reclaimed - the 
> > system !!!swaps!!! I believe, swapping is a good sign of trouble here.
> >     
>
> Hello,
>
> This is normal behaviour, free() makes memory available for reuse by
> the same process, it does not return it to the operating system.  See
> the description of the free() function in the "GNU C Library Reference
> Manual" for more details -- it is a great resource.
>
>   
Also, allowing a callback for a different memory allocator can solve the 
problem. That is I can use something like mmap to allocate memory and 
always be sure it goes back to the OS.

Thanks!

--
Sergey