Java Thread Programming [Paperback]

Paul Hyde (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0672315858 | ISBN-13: 978-0672315855 | Publication Date: August 30, 1999 | Edition: 1

Java Thread Programming shows you how to take full advantage of Java's thread facilities: when to use threads to increase your program's efficiency, how to use them effectively, and how to avoid common mistakes. There is thorough coverage of the Thread API, ThreadGroup classes, the Runnable interface, and the synchronized operator. Extensive, complete, code examples show programmers the details of creating and managing threads in real-world applications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Java Thread Programming shows you how to take full advantage of Java's thread facilities: when to use threads to increase your program's efficiency, how to use them effectively, and how to avoid common mistakes. There is thorough coverage of the Thread API, ThreadGroup classes, the Runnable interface, and the synchronized operator. Extensive, complete, code examples show programmers the details of creating and managing threads in real-world applications.

About the Author

Paul Hyde is a professional Java developer and Sun Certified Java Programmer who has over 3,200 hours of on-the-job Java development experience. He speaks at Java conferences about Java threads, and is currently a Java consultant for Programmix Incorporated. Mr. Hyde has developed introductory and advanced Java courses for IT and programming professionals, and has taught classes for Sybase.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (August 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672315858
• ISBN-13: 978-0672315855
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!, January 4, 2001

By 

Misha Rybalov (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java Thread Programming (Paperback)

I just wanted to express my sincerest appreciation for this book. It has really helped me build a solid foundation of threading in Java.

The examples are easy to follow and the way that the author refers to the code line numbers in the text is very helpful. Concepts that I never quite grasped were explained in such a simple manner that I was left thinking "It's so easy! Why did I have trouble understanding this before!?".

I wanted to point out a few sections of the book that were especially helpful:

1) Synchronized Statement Block (pg 144-146). I have attained my Java certification at the programmer level, so I already knew how to use the synchronized keyword as method modifiers and in blocks. However, this section of the book really cleared up the concept of what it actually means to get a synchronized lock on an object. This line, on page 144, made it all clear: "... obj is a reference to the object whose object-level lock must be acquired before entering the block of code."

2) I can't find the page number, but the book makes a reference to the point that when two threads are running you can't be sure when the thread scheduler will remove it from the running state and place another thread into the running state. This really helped me understand how multi-threading programs work in general. Instead of talking about threads as slices of time (as some texts do), it was much easier to understand the concept of the almighty thread scheduler taking individual threads on or off the running state and that when they would be placed back into the running state, they would continue from where they left off before.

3) Deadlocks (pp 160-165). I have heard of this situation before but never really understood how a situation like this could arise. The diagram on page 161 and sample program on page 161 really brought the point home.

4) The Wait/Notify Mechanism (pp 168). The example on page 169 helped me understand why wait( ), notify( ), and notifyAll( ) are part of the Object class. I often wondered why these methods weren't part of the Thread class. This entire chapter was a pleasure to read because it clearly explained how wait and notify work and how they should to be used. The timing diagrams were also very helpful.

5) Threads and Swing (Chapter 9). The motivation example (page 232) for why it is sometimes necessary to create a new thread in a Swing application really helped me get a better understanding of the event dispatching thread. This made it very easy to understand SwingUtilities.invokeAndWait( ) and SwingUtilities.invokeLater( ).

I have a few suggestions for future editions of the book. The first suggestion is for providing exercises at the end of each chapter. Or perhaps there could be a Part 3 to the book which lists multi-threaded programming projects that readers can try. For example, I wrote the CubbyHole program on page 192 by myself, before looking at the code in the book. The second suggestion is to have more information about debugging in multi-threaded programs. A listing of the techniques as well as the common tools used would be most helpful. The third suggestion is to provide some examples when you would use ThreadLocal and InheritableThreadLocal in the real world.

Thank you, Mr. Hyde, for writing such a beautiful book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the clear, well written book with many examples, November 12, 2001

By 

Robert A. Gibson "softwareengineer" (Research Triangle Park, NC - USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java Thread Programming (Paperback)

Paul does an extremely good job of explaining threads. Even
though I haven't yet completed the book, I have already gotten
my moneys worth out of it.
.
It has been quite awhile since I looked into threads. I've had
little opportunity to use them, and none in Java. So, I was
quite pleased to see the number of very positive comments about
this book. I have yet to understand the harsh rating by Dan.
.
I bought this book (mainly because of the number of good
reviews) because I had a problem I was trying to solve. Since
getting the book, I've worked my way through 8 chapters, and
have greatly enjoyed reading the material, as well as having
learned/relearned a vast amount about Java threads.
.
Pros:
- Excellent writing style
- Very few (as far as I can tell anyway ;-) errors
- Use of a variety of example styles to demonstrate thread
relationships, and timings - these make for much better
comprehension of the material.
.
Cons: (nothing significant)
- End of section/chapter exercises could be of benefit.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for the Java Programmer certification, January 19, 2003

By 

Christopher P. Mcmanaman (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java Thread Programming (Paperback)

I was studying for the SJCP exam. I had every certification book in the house. However, none of the certification books were covering threads in a coherent manner that allowed me to master the threading part of the exam. This book did. I went from scratching my head at why I missed a thread question in the 100's of practice certification exams to scoring 100's in the thread section of the exams. For those of you that are doing your certification, get this book to supplement the exam guides.