Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!haven!umd5!steveg
From: steveg@umd5.umd.edu (Steve Green)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multifinder - Just the Facts, man.
Keywords: Macs, uh-oh
Message-ID: <6460@umd5.umd.edu>
Date: 2 May 90 04:14:29 GMT
References: <20499@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <8930@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Reply-To: steveg@umd5.umd.edu (Steve Green)
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Lines: 54

In article <8930@hubcap.clemson.edu> chrise@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Everhart) writes:
]In article <20499@boulder.Colorado.EDU>, judd@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Steve Judd) writes:
]> 
]> Posting the second...
]> 
]> 	Can somebody tell me about Multifinder for the Macs?  A Mac fiend
]> that I know was telling me that the Mac has had multitasking for three years
]> by using Multifinder, on all models.  I mean, this is a Mac, right?  The bane
]> of all Amiga users?  So, there has to be a catch, right?  I'd hate to think
]> that all the great propaganda I've been hearing isn't true.
]
]There is indeed a catch.  I have used the multifinder (on AMAX) before, and
]find it to be quite lame.  It requires incredible amounts of memory and does
]not alow preemtive multitasking.  In fact, I wouldn't call what it does
]multitasking at all.  If you are running a word processor and something to
]do calculations for you, the computer will quit running the calculations
]program while you are using the word processor.  This isn't multitasking at
]all.  (if I'm wrong, someone correct me)  I call it program swapping.  The
]processor doesn't appear to be cycling time between the tasks.  This kind of
]multitasking is the what people think of when they say "who needs it?"  The
]Amiga is capable of running several programs SIMULTANEOUSLY.  I can have my
]computations program drawing a graph, while I'm using my telecommunications
]software to read the news.  And one doesn't stop for the other.  As much as
]I like the MAC interface, it is the lack of true multitasking that ensures
]that I will never buy a MAC.

You are a little confused about multitasking but the real point is about
multifinder.  From a long time Mac owners point of virew, Multifinder sucks.
Surprised??  Multifinder is a lame excuse for multitasking BUT (here is comes)
it does the job most of the time.  99% of the time that I use it, I have no
complaints that it is not preemptive.. instead, and most important, I get
upset at its lack of memory protection.  I hate when a non-well behaved program
trashes me out so bad that I have to reboot.
I dont believe the Amiga has memory protection either?..??
For the most part, Multifinder works well but you do require lots of ram.

]Supposedly, there is a Unix ported from an old version running on the MAC now,
]but...who wants old stuff...

Once again, you are underknowledged.  AUX is a System V release 2 compliant
but has always had alot of berkeleyisms.  That is, alot of what is in R4 (AMIX)
has been in AUX since it came out.  As well, alot of new (non R2) stuff is
part of AUX 2.0 eventhough it is still an R2 based system.
I would be curoius to see a list of things that R4 (or AMIX) has that AUX 2.0
does not.  I tend to believe that that list would be almost empty.

]
]Chris Everhart
]chrise@hubcap.clemson.edu

--
What do these names have in common?
Bob, Flo, Augie, Curtis, Gordon, Rick, Rhonda, Meep, Bismark, Skip, and Harry
	...did I miss any??			steveg@umd5.umd.edu