in reply to Re^2: Should I use threads? Perl/DHCP/Radius
in thread Should I use threads? Perl/DHCP/Radius

I respect your aversion to using timers or the fileevent/select methods of eventloop toolkits, but once you learn to use them, they allow much more flexibility in design. Those
while( sleep 1){ do complex hash checking logic }
loops can get very cumbersome as the complexity of the hash checking increases. Timers and fileevents make things easier. Also, Glib is only a 260k download, less than most of the pictures you download now-a-days. Glib also works on Win32 and Linux type systems. Glib is the basic class of the Firefox browser out there. Are you suggesting Firefox should use while loops instead?

Maybe you just an old dog, who is averse to learning "new tricks"? :-)


I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
Old Perl Programmer Haiku flash japh

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Re^4: Should I use threads? Perl/DHCP/Radius
by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Aug 24, 2010 at 12:32 UTC
    I respect your aversion to using timers or the fileevent/select methods of eventloop toolkits, but once you learn to use them, they allow much more flexibility in design.

    I already know how to use them. I was writing event-driven applications for Optical Mark Readers 25 years ago. And event-driven data transfer applications for racks of hand-held terminals 15 years ago.

    And I also know what a pain they are to tune each time the software has to be moved to a different hardware configuration. And how much simpler life became when I could ditch those fussy, fragile event loops that forever need re-tuning and are a nightmare to debug. In favour of writing nice, straight forward linear code, testing and debugging it as a single-threaded app, and then just running multiple copies each in its own thread.

    Timers and fileevents make things easier.

    Sorry, but that is rubbish. You dream up and code some extension to the OPs scenario with events and I'll demonstrate it is easier with threads.

    Maybe you just an old dog, who is averse to learning "new tricks"?

    Not at all. You've just rediscovered an old bone of mine that I've long since discarded as chewed out :)


    Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
    "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
    In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
      To each their own.

      I'm sure the OP will soon discover the value of eventloop systems all on his own, regardless of what you or I say.


      I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
      Old Perl Programmer Haiku flash japh