Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas
From: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Michael Thomas Niehaus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multifinder - Just the Facts, man.
Keywords: Macs, uh-oh
Message-ID: <11152@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
Date: 3 May 90 02:08:14 GMT
References: <20499@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <8930@hubcap.clemson.edu> <10143@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <43785@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <11250@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Reply-To: mithomas@bsu-cs.UUCP (Michael Thomas Niehaus)
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 25

In article <11250@cbmvax.commodore.com> johno@cbmvax (John Orr - CATS) writes:
>It is possible for Mac applications to be able to multitask well
>enough under multifinder to actually perform downloads and run a word
>processor at the same time, the only problem is that under the Mac OS,
>applications have to actively give up the CPU.  Many Mac applications
>do not give up enough (or any) CPU time for other tasks to be able to
>do much of anything.

Very few Mac applications refuse to yield the CPU (unless they have your
permission -- some decompression programs have such an option).

Apple pulled a sneaky one to get MultiFinder to work.  The switch from
program to program (task switch) happens when GetNextEvent or WaitNextEvent
is called.  Since these routines are crucial in almost all applications,
multitasking works smoothly.

True the Amiga does this better with multitasking built-in from the start,
but the Mac does a good job for just a minor add-on to the OS.

-Michael

-- 
Michael Niehaus        UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas
Apple Student Rep      ARPA:  mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu
Ball State University  AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)