Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1750759AbVLOQxA (ORCPT ); Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:53:00 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1750813AbVLOQxA (ORCPT ); Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:53:00 -0500 Received: from dtp.xs4all.nl ([80.126.206.180]:45171 "HELO abra2.bitwizard.nl") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S1750759AbVLOQw7 (ORCPT ); Thu, 15 Dec 2005 11:52:59 -0500 Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 17:52:55 +0100 From: Erik Mouw To: Linus Torvalds Cc: linux@horizon.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/19] MUTEX: Introduce simple mutex implementation Message-ID: <20051215165255.GA5510@harddisk-recovery.com> References: <20051215135812.14578.qmail@science.horizon.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: Organization: Harddisk-recovery.com User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.9i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1441 Lines: 34 On Thu, Dec 15, 2005 at 08:15:49AM -0800, Linus Torvalds wrote: > First off, the data structure is called a "semaphore", and always has > been. It's _never_ been called a "mutex" in the first place, and the > operations have been called "down()" and "up()", because I thought calling > them P() and V() was just too damn traditional and confusing (I don't > speak dutch, and even if I did, I think shortening names to that degree is > just evil). Just FYI, according to Dijkstra[1] V means "verhoog" which is dutch for "increase". P means "prolaag" which isn't a dutch word, just something Dijkstra invented. I guess he did that because "decrease" is "verlaag" in dutch and that would give you the confusing V() and V() operations... Other explanations you see in dutch CS courses are "passeer" (pass), "probeer" (try), "vrijgave" (unlock). I do agree that Dijkstra should have used Prolaag() and Verhoog(), but I guess those operations wouldn't have sticked in the english CS literature. Erik [1] http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/ewd00xx/EWD74.PDF -- +-- Erik Mouw -- www.harddisk-recovery.com -- +31 70 370 12 90 -- | Lab address: Delftechpark 26, 2628 XH, Delft, The Netherlands - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/