What would be a good synonym for "delay"?

Community General Discussion
1

Hi Everybody,

there is this blocking function delay() for blocking timing.
In most cases delay() delays finishing a project caused by its blocking nature.

For the alternative based on function millis() I call it non-blocking timing.
Three words. A lot of users say "delay" if they mean "delaying without delay()"

Today I was thinking about a synonym to the word "delay" . English is not my native language.
I did not find anything. Question to the native english speakers:

Is there a synonym that would fit for "non-blocking-timing" and is a single word?

best regards Stefan

2

wait

1 Like
3

I think when people use delay they are really trying to do timing but don't know how. So 'timing'.

1 Like
4

But "wait" also doesn't intrinsically communicate that you're doing it in a non-blocking way, after all "busy-wait" is a commonly used phrase.

I honestly don't think there's a word that cleanly communicates what OP wants.

My best one-sentence explanation of the difference between delay() and non-blocking approaches is that delay() waits while the non-blocking approach reacts.

5

But that is not just wait, is it ?

delay implies that the code execution will be delayed for a period whilst wait implies that the code is waiting for something to occur

The best solution is, of course, not to try and use a single word when several words are more appropriate

6

procrastinate

2 Likes
7

Yeah, I agree.

8

Maybe something along the lines of timeout, schedule, at, etc.

9

In German I'm sure you would have something like this as a word :slight_smile:

goDoSomethingElseWhileIRestABitAndComeBackLaterPlease();

3 Likes
10

Heavily connotated as "transitioning to a failstate if a success state isn't reached within a time limit"

Heavily implies things are pre-planned to happen at fixed points in time, which hides that state machines usually are at least partially influenced by internal inputs.

11

I guarantee that whatever single English word is used then it will be misunderstood

12

You can schedule a non-recurring appointment.

I was thinking about things like cron, at and ualarm when I read the topic.

13

is there a word in German?

14

Thank you very much for your proposals.

I think a single word can't explain it all. Only a new technical term could condensate down on it.
But I'm not in the position to introduce a new technical term for it.

procrastinate :smile: :grin: :laughing:
that is a good candidate.

I was thinking about "Check_And_Act_Just_In_Time"

:smile: :grin: :laughing:
You take my habit of long functionnames to the max

cron: for people that know what the abbreviation means a good idea.

"schedule" says not all

scheduled action

scheduled action seems good to me.

scheduling is a pretty common term.

what do you think about "scheduled action" ?
there shall happen an action some time in the future.
in the meantime other things can be done.

15

Very good question. I have to switch to german thinking

........

16

:slight_smile: ..

17

Pause.

1 Like
18

pause();
oops sorry :slightly_smiling_face:

19

Not much. The explanation needs to be appropriate to context

A better solution, but it can't happen, would be to remove the delay() function from the Arduino environment and replace it with a function named halt()

20

The main purpose to find such an expression is to have an everyday analogon

I'm not a native english speaker so I might be wrong.
But something like
agree about and fix date and time to do something for example discuss about XY in a meeting

I would think "scheduling a meeting" is a good wording for it.
Is it?

scheduling the photoshooting
scheduling the repairing of my car
scheduling going to the dentist etc.

if you have scheduled going to the dentist of course you do not enter the waiting room two days before and stay waiting over night. Of course you do other things and if time comes near do a repeated look onto your watch if it is time to drive to the dentist or to call somebody on the phone.
Yeah this is a good example. Scheduling a phone-call. You can do lots of things even drive to the supermarket and if scheduled time has arrived do the phone-call. Even from inside the supermarket or the parking lot