🤔 Why Go Multi-threaded? (Industry Insight)
During my academic studies, a frequent saying shared by our professors was the traditional warning: "Too many cooks spoil the broth." However, upon studying the architecture of Java Multithreading, I recognized that this principle does not always apply to modern software development.
The Takeaway:
Multithreading allows better performance and operational efficiency by enabling tasks to run concurrently.
Threading - Basic Scenario: The Great Kitchen Juggle
Welcome to the kitchen! We're preparing a delicious South Indian lunch (Rice, Sambar, Rasam, and Beans Fry). This represents a single program. Each task has different time requirements.
| Task Component | Time Required (Simulated) | Chef's Action (Funny Part) |
|---|---|---|
| Sambar Simmering | 5.0 Minutes | Waiting for lentils to melt. |
| Rice Cooking | 3.0 Minutes | Checking on rice cooker. |
| Beans Fry | 2.0 Minutes | Frying beans to perfection. |
| Rasam Mixing | 1.0 Minute | Tasting and adjusting spice. |
Scenario 1: Sequential Execution (Single Chef)
// Main-Chef (Single Thread) START: Timer = 0.0 TASK 1: Sambar (5 min) Main-Chef: Stir Main-Chef: ✅ Done, Timer = 5.0 TASK 2: Rice (3 min) Main-Chef: Stir Main-Chef: ✅ Done, Timer = 8.0 TASK 3: Beans (2 min) Main-Chef: Fry Main-Chef: ✅ Done, Timer = 10.0 TASK 4: Rasam (1 min) Main-Chef: Mix Main-Chef: ✅ Done, Timer = 11.0 END: Lunch Ready
The Takeaway:
Total time = sum of all tasks. Single thread is blocking.
Scenario 2: Multithreaded Execution (Kitchen Crew)
// Multiple Threads (8-Core CPU) START: Timer = 0.0 Sambar-Pro, Rice-Maestro, Beans-Specialist, Rasam-Ninja run in parallel Sambar-Pro: ✅ Done at 5.0 Rice-Maestro: ✅ Done at 3.0 Beans-Specialist: ✅ Done at 2.0 Rasam-Ninja: ✅ Done at 1.0 END: Lunch Ready, Total Time: 5.0 Minutes
The Takeaway:
Parallelism allows tasks to run simultaneously. Total time = longest single task.
Scenario 3 & 4: Ice Cream Emergency (6 Tasks)
A busy hotel order shows even more, shorter tasks.
| Task Component | Time | Worker's Action |
|---|---|---|
| Retrieve Tub | 1.0 min | Searching freezer |
| Scooping | 3.0 min | Battling hard ice cream |
| Topping/Garnish | 2.0 min | Adding whipped cream & sprinkles |
| Wipe Rim | 0.5 min | Prevent sticky edges |
| Calculate Bill | 0.5 min | Tap buttons on register |
| Deliver | 1.5 min | Walk to table |
| Total Sequential Time | 8.5 min |
Scenario 3: Lone Server (Sequential)
// Single Thread handles all 6 tasks one by one END: Total Time: 8.5 Minutes
Scenario 4: Ice Cream Dream Team (Multithreaded)
// 6 Threads on 8-Core CPU END: Total Time: 3.0 Minutes
Why We Love Multithreading
- Massive performance gain (parallelism reduces total time).
- UI doesn’t freeze; responsiveness improves.
- Non-blocking I/O allows CPU to switch tasks efficiently.
- More fun; using all CPU cores efficiently!