The Architecture of Threads

Abstract

Programming Java threads is not nearly as easy (or platform independent) as most books would have you believe, and all Java programs that display a graphical user interface must be multithreaded. This chapter shows you why these statements are true by discussing the architectures of various threading systems and by discussing how those architectures influence how you program threads in Java. Along the way, I’ll introduce several key terms and concepts that are not described very well in most intro-to-Java books. Understanding these concepts is essential if you expect to understand the code in the remainder of the book.