Re: [boost] Nonlocking data structures.

From: Tim Blechmann (tim_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-04-19 05:59:41

On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:55:35 -0700, Michael Dickey wrote:

>> Tim seems to have a great lock-free FIFO implementation, although I see
>> that it uses a GPL license rather than Boost.  Any chance we could
>> convince you to change the license, Tim?  (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) =)

i would consider to change the license for my fifo implementation to a 
boost-style license, if there would be a demand to use it for a 
boost.lockfree library ...

however there might be some issues, though ...
- i am not sure, whether the algorithm for memory reclamation is 
patented, i am not a lawyer, nor do i know of the legal status of 
american software patents in europe ... i somewhere read that maged 
michael's hazard pointers are patented, not sure about the pass-the-buck 
algorithm, that i used
- if the algorithm is patented, i hope, the holder won't sue a developer 
of a gpl implementation
- there are no boost/c++-style atomic operations, something like an 
implementation of n2427 ...

... as long as these issues are not resolved, i prefer a gpl license :)

i would like to see a boost.lockfree library, with building blocks for 
lockfree containers (atomic primitives, aba-safe smart pointers, memory 
reclamation schemes, ...), several containers (queue, set, ...) and a 
lock-free reference counting smart pointer class (afaict, boost's smart 
pointer classes are not thread-safe) ... 
of course it would be wonderful to have both dynamic-sized and fized-
sized containers, which can be used in hard real-time systems ...

cheers, tim

-- 
tim_at_[hidden]
http://tim.klingt.org
I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody
turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.
  Groucho Marx