Threads are defined as light weight processes. They are the basic unit of CPU scheduling and is a sequential execution stream within a process. All processes have five hundamental parts; code, data, stack, file I/O and signal tables. This creates a significan amount of overhead when switching. Threads reduce overhead by sharing fundamental parts. By sharing, switching happens much more frequently and efficiently.

Threads are an integral part of any operating system. However, three of the industry's leaders all have differing concepts about the best implementation of threads.

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