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Python Memory Management
Evan Jones
explores
the issues behind Python's appetite for system memory.
"Hence, the Python interpreter uses a variety of optimized memory allocation schemes. The most important one is a malloc implementation called pymalloc, designed specifically to handle large numbers of small allocations. Any object that is smaller than 256 bytes uses this allocator, while anything larger uses the system's malloc. This implementation never returns memory to the operating system. Instead, it holds on to it in case it is needed again. This is efficient when it is used again in a short time, but is wasteful if a long time passes before it is needed."
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