From: ptkwt@...1.aracnet.com (Phil Tomson)
Date: 2002-01-17T15:16:30+09:00
Subject: Re: A few words on threads

In article <3C45DDBB.2D5AEAF2@prescod.net>,
Paul Prescod  <paul@prescod.net> wrote:
>"Avdi B. Grimm" wrote:
>> 
>>...
>
>> ... Perl provides an interface to native
>> threads, as does Python (although I've heard that Python's
>> implementation is fairly crude).  
>
[snip]
>
>It is my understanding that threads in Perl are also somewhat crude --
>just in very different ways than in Python. In fact I often hear Perl
>programmers say that you just shouldn't use threads in Perl because they
>are broken. Unfortunately, I think Perl is on about its third attempt to
>do threads so it is very hard for me to keep straight in my mind what
>the different schemes are and what their limitations are.
>
Yes, there have been 2 or 3 different threading schemes in Perl.  About a 
year ago I tried using threads in Perl - I believe it was in 5.6 - and in 
order to do so I actually had to compile a new Perl executable with 
threads turned on - and after all that I couldn't get them to do what I 
wanted.  

>I don't want to do a bunch of research on this but google turns up, for
>example: 
>http://lists.zope.org/pipermail/zope-perl/2000-June/000030.html
>http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2001/08/01/artur.html
>
>(you've got two Perl experts there discussing the common perception that
>Perl threads are not usable)

Phil