+/**
+ * g_alloca:
+ * @size: number of bytes to allocate.
+ *
+ * Allocates @size bytes on the stack; these bytes will be freed when the current
+ * stack frame is cleaned up. This macro essentially just wraps the alloca()
+ * function present on most UNIX variants.
+ * Thus it provides the same advantages and pitfalls as alloca():
+ *
+ * - alloca() is very fast, as on most systems it's implemented by just adjusting
+ * the stack pointer register.
+ *
+ * - It doesn't cause any memory fragmentation, within its scope, separate alloca()
+ * blocks just build up and are released together at function end.
+ *
+ * - Allocation sizes have to fit into the current stack frame. For instance in a
+ * threaded environment on Linux, the per-thread stack size is limited to 2 Megabytes,
+ * so be sparse with alloca() uses.
+ *
+ * - Allocation failure due to insufficient stack space is not indicated with a %NULL
+ * return like e.g. with malloc(). Instead, most systems probably handle it the same
+ * way as out of stack space situations from infinite function recursion, i.e.
+ * with a segmentation fault.
+ *
+ * - Special care has to be taken when mixing alloca() with GNU C variable sized arrays.
+ * Stack space allocated with alloca() in the same scope as a variable sized array
+ * will be freed together with the variable sized array upon exit of that scope, and
+ * not upon exit of the enclosing function scope.
+ *
+ * Returns: space for @size bytes, allocated on the stack
+ */