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From: chrise@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Everhart)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multifinder - Just the Facts, man.
Summary: ok...be picky
Keywords: Macs, uh-oh
Message-ID: <8938@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 2 May 90 14:46:37 GMT
References: <20499@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <8930@hubcap.clemson.edu> <10143@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 35

In article <10143@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>, cs163wed@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (see far) writes:
> In article <8930@hubcap.clemson.edu> chrise@hubcap.clemson.edu (Chris Everhart) writes:
> >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
> 
> ISn't the AMiga's multi-tasking program swapping?   Unless you have
> several amigas at once, you can never run programs simultaneously.
> Amiga's multitasking only tricks you into thinking it is running
> programs "simultaneously". 
> 
> After all, you get only one 68000 in an amiga, don't you?


Yeah.  Just go ahead and be picky.  :-)  Actually, I was referring to the
virtual machine.  Like most multitasking computers that will actually fit on
your desk, the Amiga SIMULATES simultaneous program execution.  I've had this
beat into my head in one of my courses, and since that course dealt primarily
with virtual machines, I spoke from that point of view.

I also want to correct my previous statement when I said that Multifinder does
not allow programs to run concurrently.  It does, but one program is not
allowed to interrupt another to gain the CPU.  The advantage of this is that
the application you are currently using does not get slowed down.  The
disadvantage is that the programs you have in the background will most likely
be completely stopped (by something such as a wordprocessor which is almost
always busy).  The Amiga overcomes the problem of having your task get slowed
down by allowing you to set priorities.  You can make the computer run your
task and no one elses if you need it.

Is that better?   :-)

Chris Everhart
chrise@hubcap.clemson.edu