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Showing posts from February, 2008

Causality and the Java Memory Model

NB: I started writing this last August, and sent it to a friend of mine for thoughts. I just realized that he never got back to me on it, and I never posted it. I don't much feel like editing it now, so here it is in its original glory Okay, I know. It is nearly impossible to read and understand the causality bits of the Java memory model. That's all that stuff about "Executions and Causality Requirements" on pages 568 – 570 of the Java Language Specification . Bill Pugh, Sarita Adve and I wrote it. Basically, in the last three years, there have been three kinds of reactions to it: ZOMGWTF!? (I'm a normal human being. Give me a break.) This is incomprehensible gibberish. (I'm a pretty smart cookie and I think that everything I can't understand in three seconds is worthless.) Okay, I think I get it, but I have some questions. (I'm a pretty smart cookie and I spent several days trying to understand it.) I find that the last group usually prett