Re: java.util.Properties -- make it thread-safe?

[Bryce McKinlay]

Sascha Brawer wrote:

> Sun's current JavaDoc (J2SE 1.4) does not mention whether
> java.util.Properties is supposed to be usable from multiple threads
> without additional synchronization.  However, one might be able to infer
> it from the fact that it is a subclass of java.util.Hashtable.

My approach is to assume that _nothing_ is synchronized unless the 
(current) specs explicitly say so, or it is obvious that it is not 
reasonable to implement something any other way. My reasoning is:

1. It is slow. In fact the overuse of synchronization is responsible for 
a great many of Java's performance problems.
2. A programmer has no reason to assume that something is synchronized 
if the specification does not say it is.
3. It could potentially cause deadlock issues if a progammer assumes 
something does not synchronize internally, but it does.

regards

Bryce.