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Subject:Re: idempotent From:Elizabeth Ross <beth -at- VCUBED -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 19 Aug 1999 10:21:51 -0400
Searching http://www.onelook.com/ (a great online reference that links many
dictionaries in one search engine) I got four results, including:
idempotent from mathematical techspeak adj. Acting as if used only once,
even if used multiple times. This term is often used with respect to C
header files,
which contain common definitions and declarations to be included by several
source files. If a header file is ever included twice during the same
compilation
(perhaps due to nested #include files), compilation errors can result unless
the header file has protected itself against multiple inclusion; a header
file so protected
is said to be idempotent. The term can also be used to describe an
initialization subroutine that is arranged to perform some critical action
exactly once, even if
the routine is called several times.
Elizabeth Ross
Technical Writer
V3 Semiconductor Corp.
beth -at- vcubed -dot- com http://www.vcubed.com
