Translation of the word flush

Question

Translation of the word flush

Asked 9 years, 6 months ago

Viewed 531 times

13

I am preparing reference material on functional programming using the language Ocaml and would like a good translation into Portuguese of the word flush, commonly found in the description of input and output operations.

More precisely, I need a translation for the expression flush the standard output.

Although writing about Ocaml, the concept addressed applies to the vast majority of programming languages.

2 answers

Browser other questions tagged terminology input-output

You are not signed in. Login or sign up in order to post.

by Leonel Sanches da Silva • **88,623** points · Answer 1 · 2015-04-14T19:41:52+00:00

10

It’s not a very nice translation, but in the strict sense, it would be "unloading".

In programming, meaning is extended to the emptying of a content, such as a memory buffer. Streams files are the most common to have flush. That is, in this case, a call to a method flush would be to download the contents of the memory for permanent storage.

For the case of exit buffers (standard output is one of them), the data download would be from memory to the terminal screen on which this can be read.

3

If a "stream" is a river, a stream [of water], a stream [idem], so it makes perfect sense that emptying it is a discharge...

– mgibsonbr

2015/04/14 at 20:17
4

But let’s agree it’s ugly for c...

– Leonel Sanches da Silva

2015/04/14 at 20:28
1

Maybe "release" is also a good option, although "download" still seems more correct (even being uglier).

– Luiz Vieira

2015/04/14 at 22:58
@Luizvieira "Release" is more like free than to flush. The connotation is well separated between both in English.

– Leonel Sanches da Silva

2015/04/15 at 14:51
2

Yes, it is true, mainly in order to ensure that what is pending is recorded. But as flush comes from "sudden flow" (so much so that it is used not only to refer to the discharge in Oil, but also to redness in the face), the intention of the phrase could also be to free (or clear) space for new operations. As I said, I think your suggestion is the most correct one, but I thought it was still worth mentioning in a comment (not in a reply). :)

– Luiz Vieira

2015/04/15 at 17:14

by Victor Stafusa • **63,338** points · Answer 2 · 2015-04-14T19:45:06+00:00

I think a reasonable translation would be unload. Thus, "flush standard output" would be translated to "download the standard output".

You can argue (and I would agree) that the term download sounds a little strange. But even the original term in English, flush, if you go to see is something very strange and inappropriate.

The very meaning would be something like "complete the pending output operations stored in the buffer".