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From: lexw@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (Lex Wassenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: P and V operators (was: foreign language requirements)
Keywords: P, V, PSV, explanations, semaphores, Dijkstra
Message-ID: <213@wc8.idca.tds.philips.nl>
Date: 22 Mar 89 07:45:52 GMT
Reply-To: lexw@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl
Followup-To: comp.misc
Organization: Philips Telecommunication and Data Systems, The Netherlands
Lines: 18

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.