Is the asynchronous implementation in C# 4.5 exactly the same as in F# 2 in the way threads are used?
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Is the asynchronous implementation in C# 4.5 exactly the same as in F# 2 in the way threads are used?
They are different. The main difference is that C# uses standard .NET
Task<T>to represent asynchronous computations while F# uses its own type calledAsync<T>.More specifically, the key differences are:
A C# async method creates a
Task<T>that is immediately started (hot task model) while F# creates a computation that you have to start explicitly (generator model). This means that F# computations are easier to compose (you can write higher level abstractions).In F# you also get better control over how is the computation started. You can start a computation using
Async.Startto start it in the background orAsync.StartImmediateto start it on the current thread.F# asynchronous workflows support cancellation automatically, so you do not have to pass
CancellationTokenaround.Perhaps another consequence of the first point is that F# async workflows also support tail-recursion, so you can write recursive workflows (this would not work easily in C#, but C# does not use this programming style)
I wrote a more detailed article about this topic: Asynchronous C# and F# (II.): How do they differ?