Customer Reviews

Programming With Threads

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
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This book should have been called "Introduction to Posix threads in Solaris and multithreading issues".

Pros:

- covers Posix threads, including more complex aspects, which are "usually neglected by ... implementors" to quote the authors. Includes threads cancellation and fork behaviour.

- a set of ideas, problems and methods that you may encounter while developing multithreaded software. Most of them are on the simpler side though.

- compact, highly informative chapters (average to 20 pages each).

Cons:

- No word on differences between Unix flavours. Basically it's all refers to Solaris, which I can understand, since Mr. Kleiman is the head of Sun Solaris threading dept (also Posix threads committee member).

- C API only, no existing C++ implementations behaviour or really anything C++ related.

- Mostly recommendations. Nothing on the _existing_ practices, libs or whatever. One or two of the existing bigger pieces of software could have been surgically dissembled to show how it's done. Some math analysis is shown, but it ends with yet another recommendation.

- The methods and problems covered could be more deep, otherwise it's sort of an introduction.

- Some of the samples are too big.

Overall:

- Gives you an impression that the authors are very knowledgeable (yeah, right, see note on who one of the authors is), and capable of explaining complex things with simple words, but a little bit ignorant in that they consider the reader not worth sharing more knowledge with.

- Certain chapters must be stripped out, and more pure theoretical info added.

- A recommended book all in all.

P.S. A stylish cover.

Wholeheartedly agree with the others. This is an excellent treatment of threading with a wealth of examples. I especially like the Advanced Topics where they address cases and situations that seem very common in practice yet are not documented elsewhere.

The Book assume the reader has background in threading and OS internal related concepts (althouth pthread is for applications, it has strong similiarity with OS design issue). It gives a concise introduction to the pthread interface and semantics, then quickly (yeah, I like such way) go into application and related issue discussions. I find such way is very intuitive and meet my taste.

There are two drawbacks from general point of view, one is the book is not appopriate for Unix beginner. The other one is the examples are taken from handy code, not well trimmed to only pinpoint the topics, but it make me feel more natural and practical.

Must have book that anybody interested in threading should have. Certainly not for beginner. Explains the basic constructs of threading and then takes specific instances where threading can be applied.

The best I've seen in the practical application of multi-threading technology on the UNIX platform. In fact, I managed to implement this technology into the construction of a communication server quickly and succesfully after reading this book. Well worth the money