--- deliantra/server/common/utils.C	2008/01/25 18:09:23	1.70
+++ deliantra/server/common/utils.C	2008/04/02 11:13:53	1.73
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@
 
 void *salloc_ (int n) throw (std::bad_alloc)
 {
-#ifdef PREFER_MALLOC
+#if PREFER_MALLOC
   void *ptr = malloc (n);
 #else
   slice_alloc += n;
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@
 
 /******************************************************************************/
 
-#ifdef DEBUG_SALLOC
+#if DEBUG_SALLOC
 
 #define MAGIC 0xa1b2c35543deadLL
 
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@
       unsigned long *p = (unsigned long *)ptr;
       unsigned long s = *--p ^ MAGIC;
 
-      if ((*p ^ MAGIC) != size)
+      if (size != (unsigned long)(*p ^ MAGIC))
         LOG (logBacktrace | llevError, "slice free size (%lx) doesn't match alloc size (%lx)\n", size, s);
 
       *p = MAGIC;
@@ -650,3 +650,15 @@
     0x2d02ef8dL
 };
 
+void thread::start (void *(*start_routine)(void *), void *arg)
+{
+  sigset_t fullsigset, oldsigset;
+  sigfillset (&fullsigset);
+
+  pthread_sigmask (SIG_SETMASK, &fullsigset, &oldsigset);
+
+  if (pthread_create (&id, 0, start_routine, arg))
+    cleanup ("unable to create a new thread");
+
+  pthread_sigmask (SIG_SETMASK, &oldsigset, 0);
+}