An Introduction to Programming with Threads

This paper provides an introduction to writing concurrent programs with “threads”. A threads facility allows you to write programs with multiple simultaneous points of execution, synchronizing through shared memory. The paper describes the basic thread and synchronization primitives, then for each primitive provides a tutorial on how to use it. The tutorial sections provide advice on the best ways to use the primitives, give warnings about what can go wrong and offer hints about how to avoid these pitfalls. The paper is aimed at experienced programmers who want to acquire practical expertise in writing concurrent programs.