Method and system for optimizing array sizes in a JAVA virtual machine

A computer program product in a computer-readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform actions that include:

• invoking an interface to direct the computer to dynamically allocate an array of memory in a heap, wherein allocating the array includes:
• identifying a set of one or more blocks of free memory space, wherein each block in the set is a contiguous region of free memory space and wherein the set of blocks, collectively, has a total amount of free memory space that is at least as large as the array to be allocated;
• allocating one or more inner arrays from the identified blocks;
• allocating an outer array having at least as many elements as the number of inner arrays allocated;
• recording references to the inner arrays in the outer array, and
• wherein the interface bears no indication as to whether the array is allocated as a segmented array or as a single, contiguously stored array.

A data processing system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one data store that is accessible to the at least one processor;
• an interpreter residing in the at least one data store;
• and
• a program residing in the at least one data store and containing an allocation instruction to dynamically allocate an array of memory in a heap,
• wherein the at least one processor executes the interpreter to interpret and execute the program, and by executing the program, executes the allocation instruction, and
• wherein executing the allocation instruction includes:
• identifying a set of one or more blocks of free memory space, wherein each block in the set is a contiguous region of free memory space and wherein the set of blocks, collectively, has a total amount of free memory space that is at least as large as the array to be allocated;
• allocating one or more inner arrays from the identified blocks;
• allocating an outer array having at least as many elements as the number of inner arrays allocated;
• and
• recording references to the inner arrays in the outer array.