Can someone explain briefly the notion of "syncronization" as it
    is being used here?

In the case of Java's synchronization, it is drawn from Hoare's
"monitor" mechanism. It is one solution to synchronizing access to a
shared resource. In Java a method or a set of statements within a
method can be synchronized relative to some object, either the
receiver or some other explicitly referenced object.

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Patrick Logan                 mailto:patrickl at gemstone.com
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