SDL_SpinLock(3type)

💅 SDL_SpinLock — an atomic spinlock, bestie 💖

okay so real talk, this is a page from the SDL3 DATATYPES manual, and the star of the show is SDL_SpinLock. it's giving "tiny type, big opinions." let's get into it 🦋

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_SpinLock — an atomic spinlock. that's it, that's the whole vibe 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <SDL3/SDL_atomic.h>

typedef int SDL_SpinLock;

so it's literally just an int, no cap. iconic minimalism 💅

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay bestie, sit down, because these atomic locks have lore. 👑

the atomic locks are efficient spinlocks using CPU instructions — they're fast, they're lean, they hit different. but they are vulnerable to starvation and can spin forever if a thread holding a lock has been terminated. like... forever forever. not a drill. 😭

for this reason you should minimize the code executed inside an atomic lock and never do expensive things like API or system calls while holding them. seriously. don't. the way that would ruin your whole day. 💀

they're also vulnerable to starvation if the thread holding the lock is lower priority than other threads and doesn't get scheduled. rude of the scheduler, honestly. 🙈

in general you should use mutexes instead, since they have better performance and contention behavior. mutexes are the main character here. spinlocks are the chaotic side quest. ✨

🚨 the atomic locks are not safe to lock recursively. do not do that. i'm begging. 🫶

Porting Note: the spin lock functions and type are required and can not be emulated because they are used in the atomic emulation code. so like... they're load-bearing. no emulation era possible. periodt. 💅

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okay that's the whole page, you ate it up fr fr 🌈⭐

sign-off time: this lil datatype page comes to you from Simple Directmedia Layer, living in the SDL 3.4.18 era, and it goes by SDL_SpinLock(3type) when it's out in public. mwah. 🎀💖🦋