Using aspect-orientation to simplify concurrent programming

The Java programming language offers several basic constructs for concurrent programming. Despite covering everything needed from a functional point of view, the constructs are difficult to use since they require a lot of infrastructural statements besides the real logic. This makes concurrent programming errorprone and difficult to reuse. It seems that abstractions are needed to ease the pain and to better support reusability. This paper explores how to use and benefit from aspect-orientation (AO), particularly the AspectJ language, in this respect. AO promises a high potential for reuse due to a higher level of modularization since crosscutting concerns can better be modularized in aspects. This paper confirms higher reuse by presenting a collection of reusable aspects for solving specific problems in concurrent programming. Having AspectJ-based implementations for recurring problems, this paper also summarizes some interesting experiences and takes the chance to present an industrial view on some criticisms of aspect-orientation.