Re: [PATCH 1/19] MUTEX: Introduce simple mutex implementation

Sander
2005-12-17T10:59:22Z

Erik Mouw wrote (ao):
> 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".

"probeer te verlagen" translates to "try to decrease".

"try and decrease" would be "probeer en verlaag".

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