CreateMutex with initialOwner set to TRUE makes the creator process keep the mutex till it's done

The behavior you're observing with the CreateMutex function in Windows is expected and is related to the concept of mutex ownership. When you create a mutex with the initialOwner parameter set to TRUE, the calling process becomes the initial owner of the mutex. This means that the process will hold the mutex until it releases it explicitly.

Here's how it works:

1. initialOwner Parameter:

   • When you set the initialOwner parameter to TRUE, the calling process becomes the initial owner of the mutex.
   • This indicates that the process has ownership of the mutex from the moment it's created.

2. Ownership:

   • Once a process becomes the owner of a mutex, it needs to explicitly release the mutex using the ReleaseMutex function when it's done using it.
   • Other processes that try to acquire the mutex while it's owned will wait until the owning process releases it.

3. Mutex Usage:

   • If you want to use the mutex as a synchronization mechanism between multiple processes, you should use the mutex creation without specifying the initialOwner parameter or set it to FALSE.
   • When multiple processes are using the same mutex, they will compete for ownership and will need to release it when they're done.

In summary, if you want to create a mutex that is initially owned by the creator process and have the process hold onto the mutex until it's done, then creating the mutex with initialOwner set to TRUE is the correct approach. Just make sure that the process releases the mutex using ReleaseMutex when it's done to allow other processes to access the mutex.