--- libev/ev.pod 2009/04/16 07:32:51 1.233 +++ libev/ev.pod 2009/04/16 07:49:23 1.234 @@ -4096,6 +4096,82 @@ =back +=head1 GLOSSARY + +=over 4 + +=item active + +A watcher is active as long as it has been started (has been attached to +an event loop) but not yet stopped (disassociated from the event loop). + +=item application + +In this document, an application is whatever is using libev. + +=item callback + +The address of a function that is called when some event has been +detected. Callbacks are being passed the event loop, the watcher that +received the event, and the actual event bitset. + +=item callback invocation + +The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher. + +=item event + +A change of state of some external event, such as data now being available +for reading on a file descriptor, time having passed or simply not having +any other events happening anymore. + +In libev, events are represented as single bits (such as C or +C). + +=item event library + +A software package implementing an event model and loop. + +=item event loop + +An entity that handles and processes external events and converts them +into callback invocations. + +=item event model + +The model used to describe how an event loop handles and processes +watchers and events. + +=item pending + +A watcher is pending as soon as the corresponding event has been detected, +and stops being pending as soon as the watcher will be invoked or its +pending status is explicitly cleared by the application. + +A watcher can be pending, but not active. Stopping a watcher also clears +its pending status. + +=item real time + +The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :) + +=item wall-clock time + +The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually +be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when the you adjust your +clock. + +=item watcher + +A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need +to be started (attached to an event loop) before they can receive events. + +=item watcher invocation + +The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher. + +=back + =head1 AUTHOR Marc Lehmann , with repeated corrections by Mikael Magnusson.