Synchronous I/O
Synchronous I/O (Input/Output) is a programming model where operations block the execution of a program until they complete, such as reading from a file or writing to a network socket. It simplifies code flow by ensuring tasks happen sequentially, but can lead to inefficiencies in systems requiring high concurrency or responsiveness. This approach is foundational in many traditional applications and is often contrasted with asynchronous I/O for performance optimization.
Developers should use synchronous I/O for straightforward, sequential tasks where blocking is acceptable, such as in simple scripts, batch processing, or applications with low concurrency demands. It's easier to implement and debug due to its linear execution, making it suitable for learning I/O basics or in environments where performance is not critical, like small-scale desktop applications or initial prototyping.