Re: [boost] Re: Threads docs updated in CVS

From: John Max Skaller (skaller_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-08-10 19:47:24

Beman Dawes wrote:
>
>  >'xt is reached' ??

> Bill has already responded to this; it is on the issues list.   Why it is
> designed the way it is will be a FAQ, too, so we need to add something
> there.

        OK. My comment referred to the documentation, not the design.
I assumed, naively, an elapsed time, but it is clear that a
_particular_ time is the correct, now that it I am prompted to think
about it: the reason is obvious--to schedule something 'precisely',
you don't want to depend on when the call that makes the scheduling
request is executed, you want to depend on an absolute time
reference.  Question: what happens if the time has passed?

> Thanks!  Bill has worked very, very hard on all aspects, and gotten help
> from a huge number of people.

        I am particularly happy the Bill's main experience is with Windows
rather than Unix: getting Posix compliance is easy, lots of people have
Posix threading experience and there is an International Standard.
Less people really understand Windows threading I suspect.
[Including Microsoft ? <g>]
 
> Once we get a formal review (which I hope to post a schedule for tomorrow),
> perhaps we can get some language experts from the Core Working Group to
> help with the abstract machine.

Although even that is probably premature: we need users to try out
the library to see how it stands up to a wide variety of stresses
to gain confidence that the model serves well. Note that the
next C++ Standard is still some way away, so we have time
I think to do this right: it's probably the most critical change
to C++ since Bjarne wrote the ARM.

Please note also that this abstract machine extension cannot be isolated
to just C++. ISO C also requires threading support in the abstract 
machine.

-- 
John (Max) Skaller, mailto:skaller_at_[hidden] 
10/1 Toxteth Rd Glebe NSW 2037 Australia voice: 61-2-9660-0850
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