Java8源码-详解fail-fast

细心地朋友看Java容器源码时一定会发现在list()和listIterator()的注释中都有一句话：

The iterators returned by this class’s iterator and listIterator methods are fail-fast.

我看ArrayList源码没认真想fail-fast是什么意思，看Vector源码时又看到了这个词，而且在翻看Set实现类和Map实现类源码时也看到了这个词。fail-fast是什么？本篇文章以Vector为例来详细解说fail-fast。

什么是fail-fast？

下面是Vector中源码的最上部的注释中关于fail-fast的介绍

The iterators returned by this class's {@link #iterator() iterator} and
 * {@link #listIterator(int) listIterator} methods are <em>fail-fast</em></a>:
 * if the vector is structurally modified at any time after the iterator is
 * created, in any way except through the iterator's own
 * {@link ListIterator#remove() remove} or
 * {@link ListIterator#add(Object) add} methods, the iterator will throw a
 * {@link ConcurrentModificationException}.  Thus, in the face of
 * concurrent modification, the iterator fails quickly and cleanly, rather
 * than risking arbitrary, non-deterministic behavior at an undetermined
 * time in the future.  The {@link Enumeration Enumerations} returned by
 * the {@link #elements() elements} method are <em>not</em> fail-fast.
 *
 * <p>Note that the fail-fast behavior of an iterator cannot be guaranteed
 * as it is, generally speaking, impossible to make any hard guarantees in the
 * presence of unsynchronized concurrent modification.  Fail-fast iterators
 * throw {@code ConcurrentModificationException} on a best-effort basis.
 * Therefore, it would be wrong to write a program that depended on this
 * exception for its correctness:  <i>