Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!vm.epas.utoronto.CA!MEGGIN
From: MEGGIN@vm.epas.utoronto.CA (David Megginson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: GEM multi-tasking interface (please!!)
Message-ID: <8909040249.AA18031@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 4 Sep 89 02:28:36 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 35


   Here is my modest proposal to bring some form of multi-tasking
to the masses:

   The two multi-tasking systems currently available for TOS
have not caught on because they are too difficult to use for non-
programmers.  What we need is a desk-accessory which will allow the
simple user to run useful background programs.  It should use
dialogs and the file selector to manage processes, and should be
smart enough to allow the user to enter parameters and
environment variables.

   The accessory can either switch between applications using a
timed interrupt, or switch every time there is an OS call.  It
should intercept all attempts to write to the screen using GEMDOS,
XBIOS or BIOS and redirect them to files for all but the
foreground program.  It should kill any background process which
attempts to use AES or VDI in any way (the user should not have tried
to run them in the first place, but why not be more crash-proof?).
Input should be handled in the same way (perhaps there can be some
facility to pass input through the accessory).

   Messages from a process could also be displayed using alert
boxes generated by the accessory.  Setting priority, waking,
suspending or killing processes should be handled in a friendly,
GEM-typical manner in dialog boxes.

   Of course, a _really_ nice accessory would include a built-in
chrontab.

   There is no reason that simple multi-tasking cannot be as friendly
as the desktop itself.  An accessory like this could become a TOS
standard, and if it's good enough Atari might even make it official.

BITNET:		David Megginson <meggin@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>