reed@reedmedia.net ("Jeremy C. Reed") writes:

>What can be done so the default out-of-the-box configurations won't allow 
>the system to become locked up or unavailable when out of memory?

Nothing. The system freezes when the kernel runs out of memory.

>But even the "out of swap" does not explain to me why pinging finally 
>stops working too. Any ideas?

If pinging stopped the system probably crashed.

-- 
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv@serpens.de
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."