alt Hacker NewsOld magazines like The C/C++ Users' Journal and DDJ used to have ads for companies selling malloc()/free() replacement libraries, exactly because a single implementation isn't adequate to all scenarios.
Old magazines like The C/C++ Users' Journal and DDJ used to have ads for companies selling malloc()/free() replacement libraries, exactly because a single implementation isn't adequate to all scenarios.
These still exist, like dlmalloc, jemalloc, tmalloc (which has new features). Built-in malloc is good enough for almost everything if you don't have excessive time on your hands, but thinking deeper about memory allocation is one of those things that can make your software higher quality if you have time for it—just like utilising SIMD (also on today's front page) or careful use of caching.