From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932282AbVLPMSH (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:18:07 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932276AbVLPMSH (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:18:07 -0500 Received: from dtp.xs4all.nl ([80.126.206.180]:12346 "HELO abra2.bitwizard.nl") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S932282AbVLPMSG (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:18:06 -0500 Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 13:17:54 +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: <20051216121754.GC18210@harddisk-recovery.com> References: <20051215135812.14578.qmail@science.horizon.com> <20051215165255.GA5510@harddisk-recovery.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20051215165255.GA5510@harddisk-recovery.com> 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 On Thu, Dec 15, 2005 at 05:52:55PM +0100, Erik Mouw wrote: > 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... Last night I've been browsing a little more through Dijkstra's papers, and in a completely unrelated paper[1] about a now obsolete computer I found that "prolaag" is a neologism coming from "probeer te verlagen", which means "try and decrease". Erik [1] http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD00xx/EWD51.html -- +-- Erik Mouw -- www.harddisk-recovery.com -- +31 70 370 12 90 -- | Lab address: Delftechpark 26, 2628 XH, Delft, The Netherlands