To Mutex or Not To Mutex?

Question

Do I need a mutex if I have only one reader and one writer? The reader takes the next command (food.front()) from the queue and executes a task based on the com

Answer 1

your question depends on two conditions:

1. there are only two threads, one is producer, the other is consumer
2. the structure is designed for lock-free

if satisfy both, you can drop the lock, or you need to use a lock to protect the queue structure.
for dropping the lock, must remember to update the header or tailer pointer in the end of steps.