Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!XEROX.COM!"chaz_heritage.WGC1RX"
From: "chaz_heritage.WGC1RX"@XEROX.COM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: I want multitasking: so there.
Message-ID: <890922-074417-3556@Xerox>
Date: 22 Sep 89 14:43:32 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 64

In his 30 Aug 89 00:02:14 GMT Chuck McManis writes:

>Lets see if we can find those silent individuals who can present the
opposing cases. These would be...the ST/Mac/PC user who is saying :
	"You know, if only I had a multitasking OS, this is what 
	 I could accomplish."<

Here I am. My girlfriend (graphic designer / musician) and I love our STs,
but we both could do with a multitasking OS. She in order to run the video
digitiser while remapping large bitmap blocks, or something equally
esoteric (Steinberg's M-ROS allows multitasking of sampler, sequencer etc.
but we don't got that yet), and I to be able to write the sort of document
I can do at work.

Xerox Viewpoint (which I'm using now) allows the creation of a document
with pictures in it. You insert a graphics frame into the doc with a hotkey
and, when you click inside it, the object-oriented graphics package is
invoked. Clicking outside restarts the doc editor. You can add bits to the
pic as you think of them, or add more words to explain the pic, or
whatever, without having to close the doc window.

As a technical author I use this all the time. On my ST (Meagre-1, mono,
with 65Mb HD) I have to do the following:

Run 1st Word Plus (don't care what you say, I like it).
Write some of the doc.
Decide that 1 pic=1000 words and decide to do pic.
Save and quit.
Run Degas.
Draw pic.
Save as uncompressed and quit.
Put file in appropriate partition.
Check that Snapshot is running.
Run Degasnap.
Call file.
Snapshot image.
Save as .IMG and quit.
Run 1st Word Plus.
Enable graphics mode.
Read .IMG file.
Discover that I've made one little mistake....

As you can see, integrated multitasking software would make a colossal
difference to the speed of doc preparation. 

Much as I'd like a Xerox 6085 workstation (for those unfamiliar with it,
it's a custom-silicon 16/32-bit microcode machine in an elegant tower, with
a 19" megascreen and some very neat software) I can't afford it, even with
employee discount (were such a thing to exist). I've every intention of
buying a TTX (if I feel sensible & businesslike) or an ATW (if I feel
megalomaniacal) when the time comes, but....

I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY A SOFTWARE COMPANY A REASONABLE, PROFESSIONAL PRICE
FOR A REASONABLE, PROFESSIONAL MULTITASKING BUSINESS / DOCUMENTATION SUITE
TO RUN ON MY ST!

(Do you suppose they're listening?)

I have hacked up my system with NeoDesk (highly recommended) to resemble
ViewPoint visually, but it just ain't the same....

Multitasking,

Chaz