Software Transactional Memory¶
STM groups memory changes into transactions that commit together or retry after conflict.
flowchart LR
J[Junior: atomic block] --> M[Middle: retry and conflict] --> S[Senior: control contention] --> P[Professional: implement STM]
flowchart LR
Read[Read versions] --> Work[Compute changes] --> Validate{Still valid?}
Validate -->|yes| Commit
Validate -->|no| Retry
| Level | Guide | You are done when |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | Start | You can explain all-or-nothing memory updates. |
| Middle | Apply | You can use retry without side effects. |
| Senior | Operate | You can diagnose conflicts and starvation. |
| Professional | Design | You can evaluate STM algorithms and guarantees. |
Practice rule: Keep transactions short, deterministic, and free of external I/O.