Semaphores make a lot more sense if you know their literal translation of the Spanish word "semaforo", which is a "signal". It's also used in Spanish to describe a traffic light.
I thought it got its name from the Semaphore Flag Signalling System.
Linus Torvalds on semaphores (1999)
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Re: Linus Torvalds on semaphores (1999)
#112Nice read, but still some misconceptions and misunderstandings. If I am in a multiprocessor design, where each processor runs completely independent from each other and there is no central organizational unit like a central OS, like in many embedded designs, there is no such thing as a spinlock. A semaphore is also not used for sending processes to sleep. Linus explanation makes sense, speaking only about a single OS…
You should realize that the post was written in 1999.
And I have done my work on this back around 1997/1998 as part of my diploma thesis.