I don't mind. I've found this to be an interesting discussion as well. I appreciate the compliment, although most people would just say I'm stubborn.<grin/> You've already convinced me I need to spend more time with iThreads. I look forward to what else I'll learn.

I am surprised by how badly I'm apparently expressing my position on threads. This is shown by your summary.

I'll summarise it as: "Threading is hard, especially for beginners. It will require you to think differently and use different tools. You may find it easier not to try."

I pretty much agree with everything but the last sentence. I don't think I said you shouldn't try anywhere. I just suggested that it was not a trivial exercise.

Your driving description actually sets up a perfect example of what I'm trying to say. When someone first wants to drive, we do not hand them keys and point them to the freeway for them to figure it out. Way back when I learned to drive, we started in an empty parking lot, with very little to run into.

In much the same way, I think it is important to understand that a person's first threading project should be a pilot or test project. Adding threads to an existing project can be akin to putting someone in the drivers seat on the shoulder of a freeway and telling them to drive home.

To take your example a bit further, (I've never been one to stop stretching an analogy until it hurts.<grin/>) I would compare single-thread programming to walking and multi-threaded programming to driving. When driving, you are not focused on staying balanced and watching where you put your feet. You need to be aware of much more:

• the boundaries of your vehicle
• your speed
• the relation of the movement of your feet and hands to the movement of the vehicle
• the vehicles around you
• the road surface

Once someone becomes proficient at driving, much of this awareness becomes unconscious. (You don't have to think about moving about foot motions when you want to slow down.) To someone new to driving, this is a whole lot to keep up with.

Also like the driving analogy, I would never suggest that someone not learn to drive, just because it is very different from walking. But, I wouldn't think its appropriate to tell someone to just try driving on a 100 mile trip on their first attempt. Driving and threading are both useful skills, that are appropriate when you need them. But, they both require learning, practice and a new set of skills.

Without knowing the problem the OP is trying to solve, I couldn't recommend threads as the right solution. Any more than I would recommend driving without knowing where someone needs to go (and what the terrain looks like.)

That comment was what I thought I was supporting in your first response.

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