Is transactional programming actually easier?

Chip multi-processors (CMPs) have become ubiquitous, while tools that ease concurrent programming have not. The promise of increased performance for all applications through ever more parallel hardware requires good tools for concurrent programming, especially for average programmers. Transactional memory (TM) has enjoyed recent interest as a tool that can help programmers program concurrently. The TM research community claims that programming with transactional memory is easier than alternatives (like locks), but evidence is scant. In this paper, we describe a user-study in which 147 undergraduate students in an operating systems course implemented the same programs using coarse and fine-grain locks, monitors, and transactions. We surveyed the students after the assignment, and examined their code to determine the types and frequency of programming errors for each synchronization technique. Inexperienced programmers found baroque syntax a barrier to entry for transactional programmin...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: PPOPP
• Authors: Christopher J. Rossbach, Owen S. Hofmann, Emmett Witchel
• Keywords: Concurrent Programming, Fine-grained Locks, Parallel Computing, PPOPP 2010, Programming Errors