# Readline::readline() blocking all other threads

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/readline-readline-blocking-all-other-threads/123924>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 22, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/readline-readline-blocking-all-other-threads/123924 "2007-12-22T02:05:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jean-Michel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Jean-Michel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Jean-Michel)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/readline-readline-blocking-all-other-threads/123924/1 "2007-12-22T02:05:34Z")

</div>

Hi:

I have noticed an issue with readline since upgrading to Leopard.  
The readline command seems to be blocking all the other active threads

require ‘readline’  
other = Thread.new do  
time = Time.now  
while true  
time = Time.now  
sleep(2)  
puts “slept(#{time - Time.now})”  
end  
end  
cli = Thread.new do  
loop do  
Readline::readline("\nreadline \> ", true)  
end  
end  
cli.join

+++ expected behavior:

$ ruby -v  
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13 patchlevel 0) [i386-freebsd6.2]  
$ ruby testreadline.rb

readline \>

readline \> slept(-2.080508)  
slept(-2.019907)  
slept(-2.020017)  
slept(-2.020015)  
slept(-2.020017)  
slept(-2.020017)  
slept(-2.020037)  
slept(-2.019993)  
testreadline.rb:16:in `join’: Interrupt  
from testreadline.rb:16

===============================

+++ Bogus behavior on OS X 10.5.1

$ ruby -v  
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [powerpc-darwin9.1.0]

```
Readline::readline("\nreadline > ", true)
Thread.pass <<< so the 'other' thread gets a chance to run.

```

$ ruby readline.rb

readline \>

readline \>  
slept(-6.416737)

readline \>  
slept(-6.303147)

readline \>  
slept(-3.599555)

readline \>  
slept(-7.511554)

readline \>

Is this a known issue ?

Jean-Michel