Memory Allocation Counter Idea, plus, [REALLY OFF-TOPIC] Software

Alex K. (kolex@erols.com)
Sun, 29 Aug 1999 17:40:03 -0400

I am not a kernel developer, nor am I close to being one. But I do make
userspace tools, and I am currently working on a daemon that would
terminate programs when memory gets close to running out (vs. the kernel
method of killing random things)
However, the task would be a lot easier if the /proc filesystem provided
a few useful peices of information that it currently does not give:
1: Then number of usecs since the last page allocation and the size of
the allocation
2: A special allocation counter, which would work as follows:
When a process requests N pages of memory, the counter is incremented by
N
Every few milliseconds or so, or at some rate (preferrably configurable
via /proc) the counter is multiplied by an x that is smaller than 1.
This would help in identifying runaway allocations without killing a
simulation that slowly gains memory over days, or an X server, which
generally does not change its memory portion that much.

Any comments?

[Begin OFF-TOPIC section here]
//Note that it was bundled with the on-topic message for a very sinister
purpose

I am very sorry to put a message irrelevant to kernel development on
this list, so if you don't have spare time, go ahead and ignore it. But
I think that the topic can affect Linux development very drastically,
even in the kernel areas.
I am collecting information on this topic for future use, including on
an activist webpage and a possible electronic petition. My question is,
has anyone here received a threat from a coorporation or an organization
of companies (like the SIAA) over open source development? If you have
been threatened with a patent infringement lawsuit, could you send me a
testimonial? Thank you.

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