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Introduction to Java threads

Brian Goetz (brian@quiotix.com), Consultant, Quiotix
Brian Goetz is a regular columnist on the developerWorks Java technology zone and has been a professional software developer for the past 15 years. He is a Principal Consultant at Quiotix, a software development and consulting firm located in Los Altos, California. See Brian's published and upcoming articles in popular industry publications.

Summary:  The Java thread facility and API is deceptively simple; however, writing complex programs that use threading effectively is not. This tutorial explores threading basics: what threads are, why they are useful, and how to get started writing simple programs that use them. You will also learn about exchanging data between threads, controlling threads, and how threads can communicate with each other.

Date:  26 Sep 2002
Level:  Introductory
PDF:  A4 and Letter (388 KB | 27 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity:  56960 views
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About this tutorial

What is this tutorial about?

Develop skills on this topic

This content is part of a progressive knowledge path for advancing your skills. See Java concurrency

This tutorial explores the basics of threads -- what they are, why they are useful, and how to get started writing simple programs that use them.

We will also explore the basic building blocks of more sophisticated threading applications -- how to exchange data between threads, how to control threads, and how threads can communicate with each other.

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Should I take this tutorial?

This tutorial is for Java programmers who have a good working knowledge of the Java language, but who have limited experience with multithreading or concurrency.

At the completion of this tutorial, you should be able to write simple programs that use threads. You should also be able to read and understand programs that use threads in straightforward ways.

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Zone=Java technology
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TutorialTitle=Introduction to Java threads
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