[webkit-dev] If you like writing memory smashers, you'll love this

[Mark Rowe]

> On Dec 16, 2014, at 10:47, Geoffrey Garen <ggaren at apple.com> wrote:
> 
>>> As of r177317, FastMalloc can be disabled at runtime. This means that you can use system memory analysis tools like GuardMalloc, MallocScribble, Instruments allocation tracking, leaks, and heap to debug memory issues in WebKit nightly builds, spade builds, and release builds.
>> 
>> Is this in reference to bmalloc?
> 
> Yes.
> 
>> Instruments allocation tracking, leaks, and heap were supported with TCMalloc-based FastMalloc for quite some time.
> 
> I think you’re remembering that TCMalloc supported malloc zone introspection? Yes, it did — and bmalloc doesn’t.
> 
> But zone introspection isn’t enough to get malloc/free backtraces, which is what you need in order to to do leaks analysis and allocation tracking. (And, of course, TCMalloc didn’t support scribbling, guard edges, guard malloc, and so on.)

<http://trac.webkit.org/changeset/153767 <http://trac.webkit.org/changeset/153767>>. It’s somewhat academic though since bmalloc is what is in use on tip of tree.

Do we intend to move the remaining ports over to bmalloc so we can remove TCMalloc from the tree?

- Mark

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