Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!udel!new
From: new@udel.EDU (Darren New)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: P and V operators (was: foreign language requirements)
Keywords: P, V, PSV, explanations, semaphores, Dijkstra
Message-ID: <11382@louie.udel.EDU>
Date: 22 Mar 89 18:25:56 GMT
References: <213@wc8.idca.tds.philips.nl>
Sender: usenet@udel.EDU
Reply-To: new@udel.EDU (Darren New)
Organization: University of Delaware
Lines: 8

>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.