This is the most simplified version of the difference between the two concepts I have found. It is from Joe Armstrong’s blog. And if anyone knows the difference it’d be Joe.

Why copy it here? 1. So that I can recall it faster than searching for it on the net. 2. If his blogs goes away, I have a backup. 3. If anyone stumbles on my blog, they can benefit from it.

Here it is:

What’s the difference between concurrency and parallelism? Explain it to a five year old.

Concurrent: Two queues and one coffee machine.

Parallel: Two queues and two coffee machines.

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