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Re: Java memory model
Would anyone care to speculate on why it's taking so long to fix the
Java memory model? The problem has been known since at least June 1999,
but JSR-133 gives this timetable:
Initiation: June 2001
Community Review: October 2001
Public Review: November 2001
Final Draft Proposal: January 2002
That's roughly 2 1/2 years just to get to the draft proposal stage.
(AFAIK, Step 2, the community review, didn't happen in October 2001.)
I can understand that (a) the problem is hard and (b) it's important to
get it right, but I'm still left with the feeling that progress has
slow. What seems to be the holdup?
--- Vladimir
Vladimir G. Ivanovic http://leonora.org/~vladimir
2770 Cowper St. vladimir@acm.org
Palo Alto, CA 94306-2447 +1 650 678 8014
"GS" == Guy Steele <- Sun Microsystems Labs <gls@labean.East.Sun.COM>> writes:
GS> Maybe it will help to douse the flames (with H2O or C8H18?)
GS> if I remark that, in my opinion, the memory model of the
GS> Java programming language is broken. Consider it so remarked.
GS> I am very proud that Bill Joy and I tackled the problem of
GS> specifying a memory model for an explicitly multithreaded
GS> programming language instead of just ignoring it and hoping
GS> for the best. I think we broke new ground here in the art of
GS> programming language specification.
GS> I am embarrassed that the model we set forward has certain
GS> obvious technical and practical flaws, and certain other very
GS> subtle flaws.
GS> I am grateful that Bill Pugh has worked so hard to clean up the
GS> mess and propose an alternative memory model that looks very
GS> promising.
GS> I am hopeful that, once a revised memory model is adopted,
GS> implementors will make an effort to ensure that their
GS> implementations obey the memory model instead of just ignoring
GS> it and hoping for the best.
GS> --Guy