lexw@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (Lex Wassenberg) (03/22/89)
I place this article here, and not in comp.arch where the discussion started because it has nothing to do with architecture anymore. I received several mailings regarding the Dutch words for the P and V operators of professor Edsger W. Dijkstra. Most of them stated P to be 'Passeren' (to pass), 'Proberen' (to try) or 'Pakken' (to seize), and V to be 'Verhogen' (to increment), 'Vrijlaten' (to free) or 'Vrijgeven' (to release). These words were given in several combinations, but personally I think that to seize and to release is the best description of what is done with the semaphore (thanks, Rick). ________________ / / ___ _____/ Lex Wassenberg, Philips TDS / / /__ \/ ___/ Apeldoorn, The Netherlands / / ___/ /__ lexw@idca.tds.philips.nl / / /____/\___/ / /____________/ It's said that only 10 people on the whole world understood /_______________/ Einstein. I'm so brilliant that no-one understands me at all.
new@udel.EDU (Darren New) (03/23/89)
>I received several mailings regarding the Dutch words for the P and V >operators of professor Edsger W. Dijkstra. Most of them stated P to be Not knowing Dutch, I remember which is which by thinking of P = Procure, V = Vacate I.e., procure access to the critical region and vacate the critical region being protected by the semaphore. Obviously, this is not what they really, originally were, but it is a handy mnemonic for English-speakers.