Looming Changes in Java Concurrency

Length: 60 minutes

Room: Room 6

Abstract

Project Loom, expected to be delivered in final form in Java 21, brings "virtual" threads to the Java platform. After an introduction to the concepts of virtual threads, structured concurrency, and extent locals, the talk focuses on the implications for programmers. Why should you care about Loom if you will never run a million concurrent tasks? How do you choose between virtual and platform threads? When blocking is cheap, is there still a benefit to reactive programming? Which parts of "Concurrency in Practice" are now outdated, and what is still relevant? What concurrent synchronization mechanisms and design patterns should you favor? How do you debug and profile virtual threads? What pitfalls do you need to recognize when transforming your current code to take advantage of virtual threads? How do you structure new code? This pragmatic presentation provides a perspective beyond the "what" of Project Loom and into the "why" and "how".

Day & time

Thursday, September 07, 10:20 – 11:20 AM

Intended audience

Java programmers with experience in concurrent programming

• Cay Horstmann

  Cay grew up in Northern Germany but scholarships lured him to earn a M.S. in computer science from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He taught computer science at San Jose State University for almost thirty years and held visiting appointments at universities in Germany, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Macau. He was the CEO of a pre-internet software company, and VP and CTO of a dot com startup that went from three people in a tiny office to a public company. In his copious spare time he writes books, including the international best-seller Core Java, and develops online learning experiences for beginning and professional programmers. He has followed and written about Project Loom since its earliest releases.