Object-Oriented Multithreading Using C++ [Paperback]

Cameron Hughes (Author), Tracey Hughes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471180122 | ISBN-13: 978-0471180128 | Publication Date: September 11, 1997 | Edition: 1

A developer's guide to writing thread-safe object-oriented applications.

Drawing on years of programming experience, Cameron and Tracey Hughes provide a building-block approach to developing multithreaded applications in C++. This book offers programmers the first comprehensive explanation of multithreading techniques and principles for objects and class libraries. It teaches C++ programmers everything they'll need to build applications that cooperate for system resources instead of competing.

This invaluable reference shows you how to avoid common pitfalls of multithreading, whether you're programming in UNIX, Windows NT, or OS/2 environment. All major examples are implemented in each environment and supported by thorough explanations of object-oriented multithread architecture and incremental multithreading.

On the disk you'll find:
* All the source code contained in the book
* Important protocols and information resources
* A variety of multithreaded components ready to build into your own applications or class library.

You'll find a wealth of coverage on highly practical but little understood topics like:
* Thread-safe container classes
* POSIX threads and the new thread standard 1003.1c
* STL algorithms and containers in multithread environments
* C++ synchronization components
* Object-oriented mutexes and semaphores
* Avoiding deadlock and data race through encapsulation
* Multithreaded application frameworks
* Object-oriented pipe streams

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A developer's guide to writing thread-safe object-oriented applications. Drawing on years of programming experience, Cameron and Tracey Hughes provide a building-block approach to developing multithreaded applications in C++. This book offers programmers the first comprehensive explanation of multithreading techniques and principles for objects and class libraries. It teaches C++ progammers everything they'll need to build applications that cooperate for system resources instead of competing. This invaluable reference shows you how to avoid common pitfalls of multithreading, whether you are programming in UNIX, Windows NT, or OS/2 environment. All major examples are implemented in each environment and supported by thorough explanations of object-oriented multithread architecture and incremental multithreading. On the disk, you'll find all of the source code contained in the book, important protocols and information resources, and a variety of multithreaded components ready to build into your own applications or class library.

From the Back Cover

A developer's guide to writing thread-safe object-oriented applications.

Drawing on years of programming experience, Cameron and Tracey Hughes provide a building-block approach to developing multithreaded applications in C++. This book offers programmers the first comprehensive explanation of multithreading techniques and principles for objects and class libraries. It teaches C++ programmers everything they'll need to build applications that cooperate for system resources instead of competing.

This invaluable reference shows you how to avoid common pitfalls of multithreading, whether you're programming in UNIX, Windows NT, or OS/2 environment. All major examples are implemented in each environment and supported by thorough explanations of object-oriented multithread architecture and incremental multithreading.

On the disk you'll find:
* All the source code contained in the book
* Important protocols and information resources
* A variety of multithreaded components ready to build into your own applications or class library.

You'll find a wealth of coverage on highly practical but little understood topics like:
* Thread-safe container classes
* POSIX threads and the new thread standard 1003.1c
* STL algorithms and containers in multithread environments
* C++ synchronization components
* Object-oriented mutexes and semaphores
* Avoiding deadlock and data race through encapsulation
* Multithreaded application frameworks
* Object-oriented pipe streams

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471180122
• ISBN-13: 978-0471180128
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,684,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok to check out from library, October 4, 2004

By 

alkmaar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Object-Oriented Multithreading Using C++ (Paperback)

There are essentially twelve chapters in the book. The first six and the POSIX specification at the end should not have been included, while the rest should have been written more concisely. In other words, the 500-page book could be boiled down to 150 pages worth reading.

The book is also showing its age. First, the code style is not up to the final C++ standard (say, using such older header files as <algo.h> and <stddef.h> instead of <algorithm> and <cstddef>), nor up to the standard of moden C++ design (see code examples in "Accelarated C++," "Modern C++ Design," and "Efficient C++," etc.). Second, although the term "object-oriented" is part of the book title, the code presented is still a mixed bag of toy C code and C++ classes tied together in long-winded, procedural main() and thread() functions.

In spite of the negatives, one may still learn a few tricks by reading chapters 6-12.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Padding, February 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Object-Oriented Multithreading Using C++ (Paperback)

When I purchased this book, I was already familiar with the basics of multithreading and synchronization. My hope was a complete, authoritative manual to help me better develop technique and methodology. In the end I was satisfied that I had learned quite a bit from the authors, but this book is hardly a good value.

First of all, a reader with an extremely rudimentary understanding of multi-tasking will find nothing but review in the first five chapters (out of twelve) of the book. To be fair, the authors state in the preface: "If the reader is familiar with the fundamental C++ class types and the basic operation system concepts needed to understand threads, then the reader can skip Chapter 1 through 4." This is a bit of an understatement, in my opinion. If a reader understands at a basic level what a thread is and how it differs from a process, he or she will find nothing but (tedious) review in the first five chapters. Don't be fooled by the table of contents; any aparently interesting topics in the first five chapters will be covered in such shallow, abstract detail that you will probably get nothing from them. Additionally if you have done any experimentation with threads and understand basically what a mutex/semaphore/event/critical section is you can probably skip chapter six as well.

For me things did not really get interesting or informative until chapter seven at the earliest, maybe even chapter eight. From there on out I would consider the book to be pretty good. Some of it was a little out of place for a book on multithreading. For instance there is a long-winded CSci 101 explanation of what an interface class is at the beginning of chapter seven, which struck me as odd since this is well-covered territory in any OOP C++ book, and familiarity with C++ and OOP in general is a stated pre-condition for reading this book. As for the allegedly poor grammar, I can't honestly say mine is any better so I found it all strangely comforting.

In conclusion, much of this book will be review to the average reader. This fact combined with the high price tag does not make this book a good value. It is nice to have on the shelf because it is pretty comprehensive in content, but keep in mind that much of that content is so fundamentally basic to multithreading that you will find it in many of the more thorough general programming books. If you are looking for money well spent, this probably shouldn't be your choice.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disregard my 5 stars. I don't know how to rate it., November 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Object-Oriented Multithreading Using C++ (Paperback)

That's the weirdest book ever. It has some rather interesting parts, but those amount to about 10% of the volume. The rest is "fattening up". Why does a book of this type contain an unbearably long coverage of basic C++ concepts is beyond me--a beginner wouldn't buy this book, a user comfortable with C++ doesn't need those endless pages with trivialities. I wish it was a 50-page, thirteen-dollar book (most likely that's why it is so padded--the price is well above $13 <g>.) There are, I want to stress, a few good sections there, but mostly it's vapour. If you're rich--buy it, there's something there, if not, peruse in the bookstore <g>, and put it back on the shelf. I hope it ends up in a bargain section where you could get it--after the price is right...