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From: dave@cs.arizona.edu (David P. Schaumann)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Commodore, Amiga, Apple, and MAC
Message-ID: <212@caslon.cs.arizona.edu>
Date: 8 Apr 90 21:31:22 GMT
References: <MWM.90Apr7000929@raven.pa.dec.com> <23800@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 38

In article <23800@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, navas@cory.Berkeley.EDU (David C. Navas) writes:
]In article <MWM.90Apr7000929@raven.pa.dec.com> mwm@raven.pa.dec.com (Mike (Real Amigas have keyboard garages) Meyer) writes:
]>Much as some Amiga users may hate to admit it, the difference between
]>preemptive and non-preemptive multitasking isn't that great from the
]>users point of view.
]
]Well, I take exception to that on a theoretical level at any rate.  Now, it's
]true that WP programs may not need preemptive multitasking, but then WP
]programs don't need multitasking.
]
]Now, when do *I* use multitasking?
]WHen I'm doing downloading and/or playing music [on my computer, silly] while
]programming, etc.
]
]Under these circumstances, MultiFinder doesn't cut it for the obvious reasons.
]
]I think that it's not so much that multitasking programs don't need preemptive
]multitasking, but that the current manner of programming doesn't teach you to
]think in concurrent ways, and so preemptiveness isn't so obvious.
]
]>	<mike
]
]David Navas                                   navas@cory.berkeley.edu
]"Think you can, think you can't -- either way it's true."  Henry Ford

I'm supprised that's all you do while downloading.  When I'm downloading
a group of files (usally from a Fred Fish Disk), I start the download, then
click to my shell window, format a new disk, and begin unarchiving the
files as they arrive (all while the download is taking place).  Also, I often
look at the contents of text files while waiting for the next file to be
completed.

I'll never be happy on a system without true multitasking and a ramdisk or
very fast hard drive again.  Fortunately, this turns out not to be a
problem ;)

Dave Schaumann
dave@cs.arizona.edu