Re: RFC: turn kmalloc+memset(,0,) into kcalloc

Paulo Marques
2005-04-06T15:51:23Z

Pekka Enberg wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Apr 6, 2005 3:15 PM, Paulo Marques <pmarques@grupopie.com> wrote:
>
>>However "calloc" is the standard C interface for doing this, so it makes
>>some sense to use it here as well... :(
>
>
> I initally submitted kcalloc() with just one parameter but Arjan
> wanted it to be similar to standard calloc() so we could check for
> overflows. I don't see any reason not to introduce kzalloc() for the
> common case you mentioned (as suggested by Denis).

kzalloc it is, then.

By the way I did a quick measurement to see how much we could gain in
kernel size by doing this. This is with a 2.6.11-rc2, defconfig kernel:

with kmalloc+memset:
vmlinuz: 5521614
bzImage: 2005274

with kzalloc:
vmlinuz: 5513422
bzImage: 2003927

So we gain 8kB on the uncompressed image and 1347 bytes on the
compressed one. This was just a dumb test and actual results might be
better due to smarter human cleanups.

Not a spectacular gain per se, but the increase in code readability is
still worth it, IMHO.

--
Paulo Marques - www.grupopie.com

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)