Advantages And Limitations Of Serial Processing

1.1.1 What is a thread?
Thread, or thread of execution is a software term for the smallest sequence of executable instructions that have been programmed which can be passed through or processed by a single CPU core, typically a part of the operating system. (Lamport, 1979).
A thread exists in the context of a process (Figure 1-1) and a process exists in the context of a program (Figure 1-2); each scale up from the previous one.

1.1.2 Program
Whether it is to print on a command print “Hello, World” or to send an astronaut to the moon, programs are used on every piece of an electronic device for us to benefit and to make our lives easier. In this context a program refers to an executable set of instructions, with the purpose to perform a task

But first, we’ll quickly explore the alternative to parallel processing and its limitations.

1.3.1 Serial Processing Limitations
Serial processing strictly refers to ‘sequential’. There aren’t any overlaps of successive processing times on objects or distinct subsystems. A standard type of serial system, each object takes the same average amount of time to process and the next object begins processing only after the previous one is done. Hence, the CPU may only work a single task at the time which severely limits the fluidity and responsiveness of a program during heavy workloads.

1.3.2 Parallel Processing and Threads
Parallel processing refers to the ability to use more than one CPU or processor core at a given time to run a program. The programs can be divided into smaller groups to be executed by multiple CPUs or processor cores at the same

If a user were to go on a page that involves the performance of a time-consuming operation, a single-threaded application would be in idle while waiting for the operation to finish running. However, if the same operation were to perform in a separate thread, the responsiveness of the application will remain.
• Resource sharing:
Threads share resources such as code and file of the process and the memory except for stacks and registers since they each have their own. Sharing resources enable several different threads to process different activities in an application with the same address space.
• Economy:
Since threads allow resource sharing, it requires less cost to be created and stored. Moreover, it takes less time to create threads as it is a lightweight process, hence, managing threads is more economical compared to processes.
• Scalability:
Multithreading in a multiprocessor architecture is faster compared to in a single processor, hence, increasing the benefits of multithreading. Unlike multithreading, a single-threaded approach can only run on a single