32-bit python memory limits?

[Gary Robinson]

I'm running a Python job on OS X 10.5.3 and the Python 2.5.2 that's available as a binary download at python.org for OS X.

I ran a python program tonight that ended up using much more memory than anticipated. It just kept on using more and more memory. Instead of killing it, I just watched it, using Activity Monitor. I assumed that when it had 2GB allocated it would blow up, because I thought 32-bit python could only address 2GB.

But Activity Monitor reported that it had allocated 3.99GB of virtual memory before it finally blew up with malloc errors. Was my understanding of a 2GB limit wrong? I guess so! But I'm pretty sure I saw it max out at 2GB on linux...

Anybody have an explanation, or is it just that my understanding of a 2GB limit was wrong? Or was it perhaps right for earlier versions, or on linux...??

Thanks for any thoughts,
Gary


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Gary Robinson
CTO
Emergent Music, LLC
personal email: garyrob at mac.com
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