What are livelocks and how do they occur in real-world scenarios?

What are livelocks and how do they occur in real-world scenarios?

Livelocks are situations where two or more processes continuously change states in response to each other without making progress. They often occur in systems where resources are shared.

Can you give me an example of a livelock in everyday life?

Sure! Imagine two people trying to pass each other in a narrow hallway. If both step to the left to let the other pass, they end up blocking each other, resulting in a livelock.

How can livelocks be resolved in programming?

Livelocks can be resolved by implementing strategies like back-off algorithms, where processes wait for a random time before trying again, or by introducing priorities to resource access.

Are there any real-world systems that have experienced livelocks?

Yes, livelocks can occur in network protocols, traffic systems, and even in multi-threaded applications where threads are waiting on each other.