Re: [boost] atomic_count_pthreads.hpp

From: Peter Dimov (pdimov_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-04-07 07:10:28

From: "Chris Elliott" <cpelliott_at_[hidden]>
> I am new to boost smart pointers, but have been using a similar custom
version of smart pointers for a while.
>
> With true atomic operations, I am curious why the pthread mutex is
necessary.

Well, I'm not sure that I understand. atomic_count_pthreads.hpp is an
implementation of the atomic_count.hpp concept that uses a pthread mutex to
guarantee atomic operations. If you have true atomic operation primitives,
you can implement an atomic_count on top of them, without the need of a
pthread_mutex. For instance, atomic_count_win32 uses the Interlocked* API.