If an OS update gives me a better allocator, I want every app to take advantage of it. Same idea with other libraries, if I update a library for reading zip files to make it go faster, or to fix a vulnerability, I want every application that uses that library to take advantage of it.

This is a debatable position. Linux distros usually do this, but a lot of modern applications ship with all their dependencies. I'd say the former is more efficient and generally better from a user perspective and the latter is more stable and is generally better from a developer/maintainer perspective. Open source encourages the former, proprietary software encourages the latter.

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jamesfinlayson a day ago | parent | next [-]

I think Windows has had a much better memory allocator for some time now but it's behind a registry flag? I think there were issues with some applications so it shipped but turned off by default.

Read about it here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47858177

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kasabali 18 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Thanks!

I've read that comment at time and saved it somewhere, then when I remembered there was something like that I searched for hours yet couldn't find it.

	▲	jamesfinlayson 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yes me too! I've added it to my todo list to update some personal projects when I get the time.

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my123 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

An app can opt-in to it in the manifest without needing that global system override.

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jeffbee a day ago | parent | prev [-]

That isn't how history has unfolded. What has actually happened is that operating systems ship with extremely bad allocators unsuitable for any application and due to some kind of emergent collective problem they are never improved.