Boost.Thread uses by default Boost.System to define the exceptions. For backward compatibility and also for compilers that don't work well with Boost.System the user can define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_USE_SYSTEM .

BOOST_THREAD_USES_SYSTEM is defined when Boost.Thread uses Boost.Move.

Boost.Thread uses by default Boost.Chrono for the time related functions. For backward compatibility and also for compilers that don't work well with Boost.Chrono the user can define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_USE_CHRONO. If BOOST_THREAD_DONT_USE_SYSTEM is defined then BOOST_THREAD_DONT_USE_CHRONO is defined implicitly.

BOOST_THREAD_USES_CHRONO is defined when Boost.Thread uses Boost.Chrono.

Boost.Thread uses by default an internal move semantic implementation. Since version 3.0.0 you can use the move emulation emulation provided by Boost.Move.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_USES_MOVE if you want to use Boost.Move interface. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_USE_MOVE if you want to use boost::unique_future.

The shared mutex implementation on Windows platform provides currently less functionality than the generic one that is used for PTheads based platforms. In order to have access to these functions, the user needs to define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_GENERIC_SHARED_MUTEX_ON_WIN to use the generic implementation, that while could be less efficient, provides all the functions.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_GENERIC_SHARED_MUTEX_ON_WIN if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_GENERIC_SHARED_MUTEX_ON_WIN if you don't want these features.

Boost.Threads includes in version 2 the Shared Locking Upwards Conversion as defined in Shared Locking. These conversions need to be used carefully to avoid deadlock or livelock. The user need to define explicitly BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_SHARED_MUTEX_UPWARDS_CONVERSION to get these upwards conversions.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_SHARED_MUTEX_UPWARDS_CONVERSION if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_SHARED_MUTEX_UPWARDS_CONVERSION if you don't want these features.

In Shared Locking the lock conversions are explicit. As this explicit conversion breaks the lock interfaces, it is provided only if the BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_EXPLICIT_LOCK_CONVERSION is defined.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_EXPLICIT_LOCK_CONVERSION if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_EXPLICIT_LOCK_CONVERSION if you don't want these features.

C++11 uses std::future. Versions of Boost.Thread previous to version 3.0.0 uses boost:unique_future. Since version 3.0.0 boost::future replaces boost::unique_future when BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_FUTURE is defined. The documentation doesn't contains anymore however boost::unique_future.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_FUTURE if you want to use boost::future. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_FUTURE if you want to use boost::unique_future.

C++11 promise initialize the associated state at construction time. Versions of Boost.Thread previous to version 3.0.0 initialize it lazily at any point in time in which this associated state is needed.

Since version 3.0.0 this difference in behavior can be configured. When BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_PROMISE_LAZY is defined the backward compatible behavior is provided.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_PROMISE_LAZY if you want to use boost::future. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_PROMISE_LAZY if you want to use boost::unique_future.

C++11 std::promise provides constructors with allocators.

template <typename R>
class promise
{
  public:
    template <class Allocator>
    explicit promise(allocator_arg_t, Allocator a);
  // ...
};
template <class R, class Alloc> struct uses_allocator<promise<R>,Alloc>: true_type {};

where

struct allocator_arg_t { };
constexpr allocator_arg_t allocator_arg = allocator_arg_t();

template <class T, class Alloc> struct uses_allocator;

Since version 3.0.0 Boost.Thread implements this constructor using the following interface

namespace boost
{
  typedef container::allocator_arg_t allocator_arg_t;
  constexpr allocator_arg_t allocator_arg = {};

  namespace container
  {
    template <class R, class Alloc>
    struct uses_allocator<promise<R>,Alloc>: true_type {};
  }
  template <class T, class Alloc>
  struct uses_allocator : public container::uses_allocator<T, Alloc> {};
}

which introduces a dependency on Boost.Container. This feature is provided only if BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_FUTURE_CTOR_ALLOCATORS is defined.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_FUTURE_CTOR_ALLOCATORS if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_FUTURE_CTOR_ALLOCATORS if you don't want these features.

C++11 has a different semantic for the thread destructor and the move assignment. Instead of detaching the thread, calls to terminate() if the thread was joinable. When BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_THREAD_DESTRUCTOR_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE and BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_THREAD_MOVE_ASSIGN_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE is defined Boost.Thread provides the C++ semantic.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_THREAD_DESTRUCTOR_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_THREAD_DESTRUCTOR_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE if you don't want these features.

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_THREAD_MOVE_ASSIGN_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_THREAD_MOVE_ASSIGN_CALLS_TERMINATE_IF_JOINABLE if you don't want these features.

C++11 defines a default constructor for once_flag. When BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_ONCE_CXX11 is defined Boost.Thread provides this C++ semantics. In this case, the previous aggregate syntax is not supported.

boost::once_flag once = BOOST_ONCE_INIT;

You should now just do

boost::once_flag once;

When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==2 define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDES_ONCE_CXX11 if you want these features. When BOOST_THREAD_VERSION==3 define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_ONCE_CXX11 if you don't want these features.

Version 3.0.0 deprecates some Boost.Thread features.

These deprecated features will be provided by default up to boost 1.52. If you don't want to include the deprecated features you could define BOOST_THREAD_DONT_PROVIDE_DEPRECATED_FEATURES_SINCE_V3_0_0. Since 1.53 these features will not be included any more by default. Since this version, if you want to include the deprecated features yet you could define BOOST_THREAD_PROVIDE_DEPRECATED_FEATURES_SINCE_V3_0_0. These deprecated features will be only available until boost 1.55, that is you have 1 year and a half to move to the new features.

BOOST_THREAD_VERSION defines the Boost.Thread version. The default version is 1. In this case the following breaking or extending macros are defined if the opposite is not requested:

The user can request the version 2 by defining BOOST_THREAD_VERSION to 2. In this case the following breaking or extending macros are defined if the opposite is not requested:

If __SUNPRO_CC < 0x5100 the library defines

If __IBMCPP__ is defined the library defines

And Boost.Thread doesn't links with Boost.Chrono.