Re: [Boost-users] [boost::mutex] Do they block or wait?

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [boost::mutex] Do they block or wait?
From: Steven Watanabe (watanabesj_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-03-31 13:49:24

AMDG

On 03/31/2011 09:55 AM, Panagiotis Foteinos wrote:
> I looked into the documentation, but it is still unclear to me.
>
> When a thread locks() an already acquired mutex, does it block (i.e. does it
> do nothing?) releasing all the resources or it loops wasting cpu cycles that
> another thread could utilize? In other words, is boost's locking mechanism
> blocking or spinning?
>

It's an implementation detail.  You realize that the
two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive?  Anyway,
Boost.Thread does block on an Event.  A spin-lock
only makes sense on a multi-core system.

In Christ,
Steven Watanabe