What is deadlock? How can I eliminate it?

A simple deadlock situation is one in which a two threads are waiting. Each thread waiting for a resource which is held by the other waiting thread. [In Java, this resource is usually the object lock obtained by the synchronized keyword.]

This deadlock situation can range from the above two thread situation to any number of threads waiting in a circular fashion.

Many solutions to this well known problem have been defined over the years including the large range of solutions to "The Dining Philosophers" problem.

Stephen ...