David Brownlee wrote:
        1.4 a.out jikes binary uses 1/3 of the memory of a 1.5 elf binary
        from the same source on the same 1.5 box, using -lgnumalloc on
        the 1.5 binary has no difference.

        This eliminates the 1.5 kernel, though it _could_ be a very
        strange elf vs a.out interaction (that is a real straw).

        Another question:
         - What does ldd on both binaries return

[hf@scree] /<1>local/bin > ldd jikes-aout-1.06 
ldd: jikes-aout-1.06: unrecognized file format
[hf@scree] /<1>local/bin > ldd jikes-elf-gnumalloc-1.06 
jikes-elf-gnumalloc-1.06:
         -lgnumalloc.0 => /usr/lib/libgnumalloc.so.0
         -lstdc++.2 => /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.2
         -lm.0 => /usr/lib/libm387.so.0
         -lm.0 => /usr/lib/libm.so.0
         -lc.12 => /usr/lib/libc.so.12
[hf@scree] /<1>local/bin > ldd jikes-1.06 
jikes-1.06:
         -lstdc++.2 => /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.2
         -lm.0 => /usr/lib/libm387.so.0
         -lm.0 => /usr/lib/libm.so.0
         -lc.12 => /usr/lib/libc.so.12
[hf@scree] /<1>local/bin > ldd-aout jikes-aout-1.06
jikes-aout-1.06:
        -lstdc++.2 => /emul/aout//usr/lib/libstdc++.so.2.0 (0x40367000)
        -lm.0 => /emul/aout//usr/lib/libm.so.0.1 (0x403a4000)
        -lc.12 => /usr/lib/libc.so.12.40 (0x403bd000)
[hf@scree] /<1>local/bin > 

        More time consuming options:
         - Are there any snapshots between 1.4 and 1.5 you could try
           installing.
         - You could compile a 1.5 a.out system

Hard. I have no (comparable) free system around at the moment.

      hauke