Index: GooString.cc
===================================================================
--- GooString.cc	(revision 36)
+++ GooString.cc	(working copy)
@@ -21,7 +21,56 @@
 #include "gtypes.h"
 #include "GooString.h"
 
-static inline int size(int len) {
+#define HIST_SIZE 12048
+
+#define SIZE 0
+#define COUNT 1
+static int gStrSizeHist[HIST_SIZE][2] = {0};
+static int gHistEntries = 0;
+
+extern "C" {
+#ifdef _WIN32
+  void win32_dbg_out(const char *format, ...);
+  #define DBG_OUT win32_dbg_out
+  #else
+  #define DBG_OUT printf
+#endif
+}
+
+/* slow but works */
+static void histAdd(int size)
+{
+#ifdef DO_HIST
+    int     i;
+
+    for (i = 0; i < gHistEntries; i++) {
+        if (gStrSizeHist[i][SIZE] == size) {
+            gStrSizeHist[i][COUNT] += 1;
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+    if (gHistEntries >= (HIST_SIZE - 1)) {
+        DBG_OUT("gHistEntries (%d) reached max HIST_SIZE (%d)\n", gHistEntries, (int)HIST_SIZE);
+        return;
+    }
+    gStrSizeHist[i][SIZE] = size;
+    gStrSizeHist[i][COUNT] = 1;
+    ++gHistEntries;
+#endif
+}
+
+void histDump(void)
+{
+#ifdef DO_HIST
+    DBG_OUT("STRING HISTOGRAM DUMP START\n");
+    for (int i = 0; i < gHistEntries; i++) {
+        DBG_OUT("%d,%d\n", gStrSizeHist[i][SIZE], gStrSizeHist[i][COUNT]);
+    }
+    DBG_OUT("STRING HISTOGRAM DUMP END\n");
+#endif
+}
+
+static inline int rounded_size(int len) {
   int delta;
 
   delta = len < 256 ? 7 : 255;
@@ -32,16 +81,35 @@
   char *s1;
 
   if (!s) {
-    s = new char[size(length1)];
-  } else if (size(length1) != size(length)) {
-    s1 = new char[size(length1)];
+#ifdef FAST_GOO_STRING
+    if (rounded_size(length1) <= GSTR_STATIC_SIZE)
+        s = sStatic;
+    else
+        s = new char[rounded_size(length1)];
+#else
+    s = new char[rounded_size(length1)];
+#endif
+  } else if (rounded_size(length1) != rounded_size(length)) {
+#ifdef FAST_GOO_STRING
+    if (rounded_size(length1) <= GSTR_STATIC_SIZE)
+        s1 = sStatic;
+    else
+        s1 = new char[rounded_size(length1)];
+#else
+      s1 = new char[rounded_size(length1)];
+#endif
     if (length1 < length) {
       memcpy(s1, s, length1);
       s1[length1] = '\0';
     } else {
       memcpy(s1, s, length + 1);
     }
+#ifdef FAST_GOO_STRING
+    if (s != sStatic)
+        delete[] s;
+#else
     delete[] s;
+#endif
     s = s1;
   }
 }
@@ -117,7 +185,9 @@
 }
 
 GooString::~GooString() {
-  delete[] s;
+  histAdd(rounded_size(length));
+  if (s != sStatic)
+    delete[] s;
 }
 
 GooString *GooString::clear() {
Index: GooString.h
===================================================================
--- GooString.h	(revision 36)
+++ GooString.h	(working copy)
@@ -17,6 +17,14 @@
 
 #include "gtypes.h"
 
+#define FAST_GOO_STRING 1
+//#define DO_HIST 1
+void histDump(void);
+
+/* I think this could just as well be 24 so that sizeof(GooString) is 32,
+   because it'll probably be anyway. */
+#define GSTR_STATIC_SIZE 16
+
 class GooString {
 public:
 
@@ -90,6 +98,9 @@
 
 private:
 
+#ifdef FAST_GOO_STRING
+  char sStatic[GSTR_STATIC_SIZE];
+#endif
   int length;
   char *s;