16 lines
899 B
Plaintext
16 lines
899 B
Plaintext
atomic
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adj. [from Gk. atomos , indivisible] 1. Indivisible; cannot be split up. For
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example, an instruction may be said to do several things atomically , i.e.,
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all the things are done immediately, and there is no chance of the
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instruction being half-completed or of another being interspersed. Used esp.
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to convey that an operation cannot be screwed up by interrupts. This routine
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locks the file and increments the file's semaphore atomically. 2. [primarily
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techspeak] Guaranteed to complete successfully or not at all, usu. refers to
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database transactions. If an error prevents a partially-performed
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transaction from proceeding to completion, it must be backed out , as the
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database must not be left in an inconsistent state. Computer usage, in
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either of the above senses, has none of the connotations that atomic has in
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mainstream English (i.e. of particles of matter, nuclear explosions etc.).
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