Subj : Re: Lock Free -- where to start
To   : comp.programming.threads
From : Joe Seigh
Date : Wed Oct 05 2005 09:29 am

Peter Dimov wrote:
> Sergey P. Derevyago wrote:
> 
> 
>>Yes. The point is that some "lock free" algorithms just implement well
>>known locking patterns in user code. Their argumentation is: I don't call
>>mutex.lock() so my code is lock free...
> 
> 
> I think that this is not allowed by the definition of "lock free". A
> locking algorithm will not make progress if the thread that has just
> acquired the lock is preempted and never receives a chance to run.
> 

Sergey was pointing out that they were using their own definition of
lock-free not Herlihy's.  A definition that took lock-free literally.
It's similar to the arguement that algorihtms using interlocked
instructions aren't lock-free since the hardware uses locks.

-- 
Joe Seigh

When you get lemons, you make lemonade.
When you get hardware, you make software.

.