Chapter 8
What is the idea behind concurrency, and why is it useful?
Concurrency is about designing and structuring program commands and instructions so that different sections of the program can be executed in an efficient order, while sharing the same resources.
What are the differences between concurrent programming and sequential programming?
In sequential programming, the commands and instructions are executed one at the time, in a sequential order. In concurrent programming, some sections might be executed in an efficient way for better execution time.
What are the differences between concurrent programming and parallel programming?
In parallel programming, the separate sections of a program are independent of one another; they do not interact with one another, and therefore, they can be executed simultaneously. In concurrent programming, the separate tasks share the same resources, and some form of coordination between them is therefore required.
Can every program be made concurrent or parallel?
No.
What are embarrassingly parallel tasks?
Embarrassingly parallel tasks can be divided into separate, independent sections, with little or no effort.
What are inherently sequential tasks?
Tasks wherein the order of execution of individual sections is crucial to the results of the tasks, which cannot be made concurrent or parallel to obtain better execution time, are called inherently sequential.
What does I/O bound mean?
This is a condition in which the time it takes to complete a computation is determined mainly by the time spent waiting for input/output operations to be completed.
How is concurrent processing currently being used in the real world?
Concurrency can be found almost everywhere: desktop and mobile applications, video games, web and internet development, artificial intelligence, and so on.
