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rewrote documentation for thread::yield_now()
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The old documentation suggested the use of yield_now for repeated
polling instead of discouraging it; it also made the false claim that
channels are implementing using yield_now. (They are not, except for
a corner case).
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godmar committed Jul 6, 2021
1 parent d04ec47 commit fb464a3
Showing 1 changed file with 17 additions and 16 deletions.
33 changes: 17 additions & 16 deletions library/std/src/thread/mod.rs
Expand Up @@ -651,22 +651,23 @@ pub fn current() -> Thread {

/// Cooperatively gives up a timeslice to the OS scheduler.
///
/// This is used when the programmer knows that the thread will have nothing
/// to do for some time, and thus avoid wasting computing time.
///
/// For example when polling on a resource, it is common to check that it is
/// available, and if not to yield in order to avoid busy waiting.
///
/// Thus the pattern of `yield`ing after a failed poll is rather common when
/// implementing low-level shared resources or synchronization primitives.
///
/// However programmers will usually prefer to use [`channel`]s, [`Condvar`]s,
/// [`Mutex`]es or [`join`] for their synchronization routines, as they avoid
/// thinking about thread scheduling.
///
/// Note that [`channel`]s for example are implemented using this primitive.
/// Indeed when you call `send` or `recv`, which are blocking, they will yield
/// if the channel is not available.
/// This calls the underlying OS scheduler's yield primitive, signaling
/// that the calling thread is willing to give up its remaining timeslice
/// so that the OS may schedule other threads on the CPU.
///
/// A drawback of yielding in a loop is that if the OS does not have any
/// other ready threads to run on the current CPU, the thread will effectively
/// busy-wait, which wastes CPU time and energy.
///
/// Therefore, when waiting for events of interest, a programmer's first
/// choice should be to use synchronization devices such as [`channel`]s,
/// [`Condvar`]s, [`Mutex`]es or [`join`] since these primitives are
/// implemented in a blocking manner, giving up the CPU until the event
/// of interest has occurred which avoids repeated yielding.
///
/// `yield_now` should thus be used only rarely, mostly in situations where
/// repeated polling is required because there is no other suitable way to
/// learn when an event of interest has occurred.
///
/// # Examples
///
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