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JSR 166 Introduction.
JSR 166 Introduction.
by Doug Lea
This is maintenance repository of JSR166 specifications. For further
information, go to:
http://altair.cs.oswego.edu/mailman/listinfo/concurrency-interest.
Note: The javadocs here do not include pre-existing
java classes (for example java.lang.Thread) that were changed
as part of the JSR166 spec. On the other hand, the javadocs here do
include some existing java.util Collection interfaces and classes that
are not part of the spec, but are included because some new methods
implement or inherit from their specifications.
JSR-166 introduces package java.util.concurrent
containing utility classes commonly useful in concurrent
programming. Like package java.util, it includes a few small
standardized extensible frameworks, as well as other classes that
provide useful functionality and are otherwise tedious or difficult to
implement.
JSR-166 focusses on breadth, providing critical functionality
useful across a wide range of concurrent programming styles and
applications, ranging from low-level atomic operations, to
customizable locks and synchronization aids, to various concurrent
data structures, to high-level execution agents including thread
pools. This diversity reflects the range of contexts in which
developers of concurrent programs have been found to require or desire
support not previously available in J2SE, which also keeping the
resulting package small; providing only functionality that has been
found to be worthwhile to standardize.
Descriptions and brief motivations for the main components may be
found in the associated package documentation. JSR-166 also includes
a few changes and additions in packages outside of
java.util.concurrent. Here are brief descriptions.
Queues
A basic (nonblocking) {@link java.util.Queue} interface extending
{@link java.util.Collection} is introduced into
java.util. Existing class {@link java.util.LinkedList} is
adapted to support Queue, and a new non-thread-safe {@link
java.util.PriorityQueue} is added.
Threads
Three minor changes are introduced to the {@link java.lang.Thread}
class:
- It now allows per-thread installation of handlers for uncaught
exceptions. Ths optionally disassociates handlers from ThreadGroups,
which has proven to be too inflexible. (Note that the combination of
features in JSR-166 make ThreadGroups even less likely to be used in
most programs. Perhaps they will eventually be deprecated.)
- Access checks are no longer required when a Thread interrupts
itself. The interrupt method is the only way to
re-assert a thread's interruption status (and in the case of
self-interruption has no other effect than this). The check here
previously caused unjustifiable and uncontrollable failures when
restricted code invoked library code that must reassert interruption
to correctly propagate status when encountering some
InterruptedExceptions.
- The destroy method, which has never been implemented,
has finally been deprecated. This is just a spec change, reflecting
the fact that that the reason it has never been implemented is that
it was undesirable and unworkable.
Timing
Method nanoTime is added to {@link java.lang.System}. It
provides a high-precision timing facility that is distinct from and
uncoordinated with System.currentTimeMillis.
Removing ThreadLocals
The {@link java.lang.ThreadLocal} class now supports a means to remove
a ThreadLocal, which is needed in some thread-pool and worker-thread
designs.