Is Parallel Programming Hard, And, If So, What Can You Do About It?

The purpose of this book is to help you under-
stand how to program shared-memory parallel ma-
chines without risking your sanity.1 By describing
the algorithms and designs that have worked well in
the past, we hope to help you avoid at least some
of the pitfalls that have beset parallel projects. But
you should think of this book as a foundation on
which to build, rather than as a completed cathe-
dral. You mission, if you choose to accept, is to help
make further progress in the exciting field of paral-
lel programming, progress that should in time render
this book obsolete. Parallel programming is not as
hard as it is reputed, and it is hoped that this book
makes it even easier for you.
This book follows a watershed shift in the parallel-
programming field, from being primarily the domain
of science, research, and grand-challenge projects to
being primarily an engineering discipline. In pre-
senting this engineering discipline, this book will ex-
amine the specific development tasks peculiar to par-
allel programming, and describe how they may be
most effectively handled, and, in some surprisingly
common special cases, automated.
This book is written in the hope that present-
ing the engineering discipline underlying successful
parallel-programming projects will free a new gener-
ation of parallel hackers from the need to slowly and
painstakingly reinvent old wheels, instead focusing
their energy and creativity on new frontiers. Al-
though the book is intended primarily for self-study,
it is likely to be more generally useful. It is hoped
that this book will be useful to you, and that the ex-
perience of parallel programming will bring you as
much fun, excitement, and challenge as it has pro-
vided the authors over the years.