Basic HTML version of Foils prepared 7 Sept 1997

Foil 54 Java Features -- It's Multithreaded

From Introduction to Java to be used in (Scientific) Computing Basic Simulation Track for Computational Science CPS615 -- Fall Semester 97. by Geoffrey C. Fox, Nancy McCracken


1 Java model offers preemptive multithreading, implemented in terms of the Thread class. Thread methods offer a set of synchronization primitives based on monitor and conditional variable paradigm by C.A.R. Hoare. Java threads inherit some features from the pioneering Cedar/Mesa System by Xerox Park that gave birth to Macintosh and object-oriented programming.
  • Threads should run in parallel on multi-processor shared memory machines
  • Threads can support full parallel computing on such architectures
2 A typical use of Java multithreading in applet programming is to have several independent but related simulations (e.g. various sorting algorithms), running concurrently in an applet window.
  • Multithreading is also used internally by the browser to handle multiple document dynamics.
  • I.e. base use is to keep computing while some threads wait on I/O
3 Java threads don't have built-in point-to-point communication primitives. Various thread communication environments can be provided by coupling the thread and network protocol objects.

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