Java All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition

Chapter 1

Programming Threads

In This Chapter

Examining threads

Creating threads from the Thread class

Working with the Runnable interface

Creating threads that cooperate

Executing threads

Making methods cooperate

Using a lock

Interrupting threads

Remember the guy from the old Ed Sullivan Show who used to spin plates? Somehow, he managed to keep all those plates spinning, running from pole to pole to give each plate a little nudge — just enough to keep it going.

In Java, threads are the equivalent of the spinning-plate guy. Threads let you divide the work of an application into separate pieces, all of which then run simultaneously. The result is a faster and more efficient program, ...