What are some examples of livelocks in computer science?

What are some examples of livelocks in computer science?

Livelocks occur when two or more processes continuously change states in response to each other without making progress. A classic example is two people trying to pass each other in a narrow hallway, where they keep stepping aside for each other but never actually get past.

Can you give me another example?

Sure! Imagine two threads in a program that are trying to acquire two locks. If each thread holds one lock and waits for the other, they can end up in a livelock, constantly releasing and re-acquiring the locks without making any progress.

How can livelocks be prevented?

Livelocks can be prevented by implementing strategies like backoff algorithms, where processes wait for a random time before retrying, or by using a priority system to ensure that one process can make progress.

Are livelocks the same as deadlocks?

No, they are different. In a deadlock, processes are stuck and cannot proceed, while in a livelock, they keep changing states but still cannot make progress.