[cpp-threads] Thread try/time_join (was: Asynchronous Function Proposal)

[Herb Sutter]

[forking the subject line] 

> > Could someone please refresh my memory as to why try_join and
> > timed_join were not included? Was it a lack of motivating use cases?
> 
> For my money it is because of lack of those functions in the posix
> API.  I.e. I'd like to layer std::thread as thinly as possible over
> what my OS offers, which is pthreads.  Adding try/time_join into
> higher level layers (such as future) doesn't bother me at all because
> one is already into thicker layers (auxiliary heap storage) by then.

Are you opposed to adding a couple of functions to thread that aren't in every threading API? Just because it's not part of core pthreads doesn't mean we shouldn't fill a gap and provide a complete interface, right? (I promise not to mention the C-word here.)

Peter, if this is important, is someone writing an issue about it?

Herb