Re: [xml] Memory not going away..

[Rick Jones <rick jones2 hp com>]

In broad handwaving terms, once a process allocates memory, that memory does not 
go back to the system until the process terminates.  Malloc will call brk, but 
free will not try to give it back to the kernel, it will keep it in the process 
on the chance that the process will want memory again.

That is not to say that an OS/runtime might choose to have a way to give the 
memory back to the kernel before the process terminates.  Not clear how many 
actually do or if it would be a win.

Either mechanism can be considered "correct."

rick jones