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Stackomate
@stackomate.com

The Two Generals Problem is a classic thought experiment in distributed systems: Two generals want to coordinate an attack, but can only communicate by messenger, and the messenger might not make it through. For the attack to succeed, both generals must strike together. 👇

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Stackomate
@stackomate.com

One general sends: “Attack at dawn.” The other replies: “Got it.” But wait — did that reply actually arrive? Even if they keep confirming back and forth (“I got your confirmation of my confirmation…”), they can never be absolutely sure the other side knows.

Stackomate
@stackomate.com

No matter how many confirmations they send, certainty is impossible. Therefore, if a communication channel can lose messages, perfect coordination is mathematically impossible.