[Python-Dev] RFC: PEP 445: Add new APIs to customize Python memory allocators

[Victor Stinner]

Le mercredi 19 juin 2013, Scott Dial a écrit :

> On 6/18/2013 4:40 PM, Victor Stinner wrote:
> > No context argument
>
> I think there is a lack of justification for the extra argument, and the
> extra argument is not free. The typical use-case for doing this
> continuation-passing style is when the set of contexts is either
> unknown, arbitrarily large, or infinite. In other words, when it would
> be either impossible or impractical to enumerate all of the contexts.
> However, in this case, we have only 3.


See the use case 3 in examples. Without the context argument, you have to
copy/paste 3 times each functions: 3 functions -> 9 functions. I don't like
having to copy/paste code, it sounds like a bad design.


> And in the latter case, there is no extra indirect branching in the
> hot-path of the allocators.


Are you concerned by performances? Did you see the Performances section,
there is no overhead according to the benchmark suite.


>
> Also, none of the external libraries cited introduce this CPS/ctx stuff.


Oops, the list is incomplete. Copy/paste from the issue:


Some customizable memory allocators I know have an extra parameter
"void *opaque" that is passed to all functions:

- in zlib: zalloc and zfree: http://www.zlib.net/manual.html#Usage
- same thing for bz2.
- lzma's ISzAlloc: http://www.asawicki.info/news_1368_lzma_sdk_-_how_to_use.html
- Oracle's OCI:
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B10501_01/appdev.920/a96584/oci15re4.htm

OTOH, expat, libxml, libmpdec don't have this extra parameter.

Victor
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