diff --git a/src/kernel/boot/loader/heap.cpp b/src/kernel/boot/loader/heap.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d25f4d1e7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/kernel/boot/loader/heap.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,326 @@
+/* 
+** Copyright 2003, Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+
+#include <boot/heap.h>
+#include <boot/platform.h>
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+
+/* This is a very simple malloc()/free() implementation - it only
+ * manages a free list.
+ * After heap_init() is called, all free memory is contained in one
+ * big chunk, the only entry in the free link list (which is a single
+ * linked list).
+ * When memory is allocated, the smallest free chunk that contains
+ * the requested size is split (or taken as a whole if it can't be
+ * splitted anymore), and it's lower half will be removed from the 
+ * free list.
+ * The free list is ordered by size, starting with the smallest
+ * free chunk available. When a chunk is freed, it will be joint
+ * with its predecessor or successor, if possible.
+ * To ease list handling, the list anchor itself is a free chunk with
+ * size 0 that can't be allocated.
+ */
+
+
+struct free_chunk {
+	uint32		size;
+	free_chunk	*next;
+
+	uint32 Size() const;
+	free_chunk *Split(uint32 splitSize);
+	bool IsTouching(free_chunk *link);
+	free_chunk *Join(free_chunk *link);
+	void Remove(free_chunk *previous = NULL);
+	void Enqueue();
+
+	void *AllocatedAddress() const;
+	static free_chunk *SetToAllocated(void *allocated);
+};
+
+
+static void *sHeapBase;
+static uint32 sHeapSize, sMaxHeapSize, sAvailable;
+static free_chunk sFreeAnchor;
+
+
+/** Returns the amount of bytes that can be allocated
+ *	in this chunk.
+ */
+
+uint32
+free_chunk::Size() const
+{
+	return size - sizeof(uint32);
+}
+
+
+/**	Splits the upper half at the requested location
+ *	and returns it.
+ */
+
+free_chunk *
+free_chunk::Split(uint32 splitSize)
+{
+	free_chunk *chunk = (free_chunk *)((uint8 *)this + sizeof(uint32) + splitSize);
+	chunk->size = size - splitSize - sizeof(uint32);
+	chunk->next = next;
+
+	size = splitSize + sizeof(uint32);
+
+	return chunk;
+}
+
+
+/**	Checks if the specified chunk touches this chunk, so
+ *	that they could be joined.
+ */
+
+bool
+free_chunk::IsTouching(free_chunk *chunk)
+{
+	return chunk
+		&& (((uint8 *)this + size == (uint8 *)chunk)
+			|| (uint8 *)chunk + chunk->size == (uint8 *)this);
+}
+
+
+/**	Joins the chunk to this chunk and returns the pointer
+ *	to the new chunk - which will either be one of the
+ *	two chunks.
+ *	Note, the chunks must be joinable, or else this method
+ *	doesn't work correctly. Use free_chunk::IsTouching()
+ *	to check if this method can be applied.
+ */
+
+free_chunk *
+free_chunk::Join(free_chunk *chunk)
+{
+	if (chunk < this) {
+		chunk->size += size;
+		chunk->next = next;
+
+		return chunk;
+	}
+
+	size += chunk->size;
+	next = chunk->next;
+
+	return this;
+}
+
+
+void 
+free_chunk::Remove(free_chunk *previous)
+{
+	if (previous == NULL) {
+		// find the previous chunk in the list
+		free_chunk *chunk = sFreeAnchor.next, *last = &sFreeAnchor;
+
+		while (chunk != NULL && chunk != this) {
+			previous = chunk;
+			chunk = chunk->next;
+		}
+
+		if (chunk == NULL)
+			panic("try to remove chunk that's not in list");
+	}
+
+	previous->next = this->next;
+	this->next = NULL;
+}
+
+
+void 
+free_chunk::Enqueue()
+{
+	free_chunk *chunk = sFreeAnchor.next, *last = &sFreeAnchor;
+	while (chunk && chunk->Size() < size) {
+		last = chunk;
+		chunk = chunk->next;
+	}
+
+	this->next = chunk;
+	last->next = this;
+}
+
+
+void *
+free_chunk::AllocatedAddress() const
+{
+	return (void *)&next;
+}
+
+
+free_chunk *
+free_chunk::SetToAllocated(void *allocated)
+{
+	return (free_chunk *)((uint8 *)allocated - sizeof(uint32));
+}
+
+
+//	#pragma mark -
+
+
+void
+heap_release(void)
+{
+	platform_release_heap(sHeapBase);
+}
+
+
+status_t
+heap_init(stage2_args *args)
+{
+	void *base, *top;
+	if (platform_init_heap(args, &base, &top) < B_OK)
+		return B_ERROR;
+
+	sHeapBase = base;
+	sMaxHeapSize = (uint8 *)top - (uint8 *)base;
+	sAvailable = sMaxHeapSize - sizeof(uint32);
+
+	// declare the whole heap as one chunk, and add it
+	// to the free list
+
+	free_chunk *chunk = (free_chunk *)base;
+	chunk->size = sMaxHeapSize;
+	chunk->next = NULL;
+
+	sFreeAnchor.size = 0;
+	sFreeAnchor.next = chunk;
+
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+#if 0
+char *
+grow_heap(uint32 bytes)
+{
+	char *start;
+
+	if (sHeapSize + bytes > sMaxHeapSize)
+		return NULL;
+
+	start = (char *)sHeapBase + sHeapSize;
+	memset(start, 0, bytes);
+	sHeapSize += bytes;
+
+	return start;
+}
+#endif
+
+
+void
+dump_chunks(void)
+{
+	free_chunk *chunk = sFreeAnchor.next, *last = &sFreeAnchor;
+	while (chunk != NULL) {
+		last = chunk;
+
+		printf("\t%p: chunk size = %ld, end = %p, next = %p\n", chunk, chunk->size, (uint8 *)chunk + chunk->size, chunk->next);
+		chunk = chunk->next;
+	}
+}
+
+
+int32
+heap_available(void)
+{
+	return sAvailable;
+}
+
+
+void *
+malloc(size_t size)
+{
+	if (sHeapBase == NULL || size == 0)
+		return NULL;
+
+	// align the size requirement to a 4 bytes boundary
+	size = (size + 3) & 0xfffffffc;
+
+	if (size > sAvailable)
+		return NULL;
+
+	free_chunk *chunk = sFreeAnchor.next, *last = &sFreeAnchor;
+	while (chunk && chunk->Size() < size) {
+		last = chunk;
+		chunk = chunk->next;
+	}
+
+	if (chunk == NULL) {
+		// could not find a free chunk as large as needed
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	if (chunk->Size() > size + sizeof(free_chunk) + 4) {
+		// if this chunk is bigger than the requested size,
+		// we split it to form two chunks (with a minimal
+		// size of 4 allocatable bytes).
+
+		free_chunk *freeChunk = chunk->Split(size);
+		last->next = freeChunk;
+
+		// re-enqueue the free chunk at the correct position
+		freeChunk->Remove(last);
+		freeChunk->Enqueue();
+	} else {
+		// remove the chunk from the free list
+
+		last->next = chunk->next;
+	}
+
+	sAvailable -= size + sizeof(uint32);
+
+	return chunk->AllocatedAddress();
+}
+
+
+void
+free(void *allocated)
+{
+	if (allocated == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	free_chunk *freedChunk = free_chunk::SetToAllocated(allocated);
+	sAvailable += freedChunk->size;
+
+	// try to join the new free chunk with an existing one
+	// it may be joined with up to two chunks
+
+	free_chunk *chunk = sFreeAnchor.next, *last = &sFreeAnchor;
+	int32 joinCount = 0;
+
+	while (chunk) {
+		if (chunk->IsTouching(freedChunk)) {
+			// almost "insert" it into the list before joining
+			// because the next pointer is inherited by the chunk
+			freedChunk->next = chunk->next;
+			freedChunk = chunk->Join(freedChunk);
+
+			// remove the joined chunk from the list
+			last->next = freedChunk->next;
+			chunk = last;
+			
+			if (++joinCount == 2)
+				break;
+		}
+
+		last = chunk;
+		chunk = chunk->next;
+	}
+
+	// enqueue the link at the right position; the 
+	// free link queue is ordered by size
+
+	freedChunk->Enqueue();
+}
+