Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!boulder!snoopy!wallwey
From: wallwey@snoopy.Colorado.EDU (WALLWEY DEAN WILLIAM)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Why use MS-window ?
Message-ID: <21691@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Date: 30 May 90 17:15:27 GMT
References: <404@newave.UUCP> <10509@ingr.com>
Sender: news@boulder.Colorado.EDU
Reply-To: wallwey@snoopy.Colorado.EDU (WALLWEY DEAN WILLIAM)
Organization: University of Colorado, boulder
Lines: 42

In article <10509@ingr.com> fordke@ingr.com (Keith Ford x8614) writes:
>
>As I thought I read in BYTE, the multi-tasking is only available on 386
>machines.  286's can only program switch.  Is this clarification correct?
>-- 
>| fordke@ingr.com,  ...!uunet!ingr!fordke,  sysop@f12.n373.z1.fidonet.org
>| Micro Magic BBS (1:373/12 - 205/830-2362) IBM/Apple2/Trackstar/Echoes/News
>| "...and the Trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe, and saw." -Rush

As usuall BYTE's negative bias towards MSWindows creaps through as
errors.  MSwindows does multitask on 286s (and if you are patient
enough even 8086s).  I know, I play Wintris, a form of Tetris that works
in Windows, while I down load stuff on my 10MHz clone.  MSwindows will
even multitask some DOS aps-like command.com. One word of note,
MSwindows in the non-386 2.X versions could only "non-pre-emtively"
multitask,  as well as MSwindows 3.0 in protective or real mode.  MS
Windows version 386 2.X and the new MS Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode(386s
only) can really multitask DOS aps due to the abilities of the 386 chips
virtual 8086 modes.

"non-pre-emtive mulitasking" is where any single process gets 100% (minus
interupts) of the CPU until it gives it up, hence the name meaning not
until the process is ready. Most Windows programs 'give
other processes a chance to run very often and avoid "hogging the cpu", so as
to "multitask".  As far as I know with DOS aps running in a window, Windows
will automatically switch to other processes when there are bios
calls(like printing to the screen or receiving from the keyboard).  It is not
as bad as it sounds,  go to your local software store and try it out-.  As far
as I'm concerened,  non-pre-emptive multitasking is not that bad,  if
you are working in one window, you generaly want that one to have more
of the CPU anyways, and not things like the clock aplication.... but the clock
aplication (as well as other neat and useful programs) still continue to work
unlike simple task switchers.

One last word of caution.  You can not run ill-behaved DOS apts in a
window and must opt for the task switching full screen option that
windows gives you.  An ill-behaved Dos aplication is one that writes
directly to memory or directly to the screen.  (the 386 version of 2.X
and MS Windows version 3.0 in enhanced(386) mode do not have this
problem!)

			-Dean Wallwey