Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!jarthur!usc!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!usenet From: brian@babbage.csus.edu (Brian Witt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: Memory Protection! Summary: shades of the Great OS/2 nearby Message-ID: <1990Aug16.045918.22715@csusac.csus.edu> Date: 16 Aug 90 04:59:18 GMT References: <1145.26bd4989@waikato.ac.nz> <13693@cbmvax.commodore.com> <13756@cbmvax.commodore.com> <35789@ut-emx.UUCP> <13785@cbmvax.commodore.com> Organization: California State University, Sacramento Lines: 66 In article <13785@cbmvax.commodore.com> valentin@cbmvax (Valentin Pepelea) writes: >In article <35789@ut-emx.UUCP> lshaw@walt.cc.utexas.edu (logan shaw) writes: >> >>> Another problem is that even if you provide the possiblity for new >>> applications to run protected within the environment, the fact that older >>> programs can still jog around the address space and wreak havoc, defeats >>> the initial purpose. > If you cannot provide 100% memory >protection and recoverability, then you might as well not provide it at all. > >You might disagree, but remember, I'm always right. ;-) >Indeed, coming out with a fully memory protected operating system which >protects even old software, but remains compatible by presenting one of these >requesters every time an illegal access happens, is technically possible. >But these requesters would pop up several times per second, and would leave >novice users rather confused. > >Another option would be to come up with an operating system that provides ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >full memory protection, but would allow the user to turn it on only optionally. >Easy. But to evaluate the likelyhood of such a thing happening, you have to >factory in the energy constant, the resistance ratio and the friction >coefficient... Uh, excuse me, but this is sounding like the reasoning behind Microsoft's OS/2 after they looked at MS-DOS.... Things weren't right for protected mode, window servers, and programs that required more than 640K memory. (DOS and COMMAND.COM and such were taking over 90K themselves!) What would a "protected mode OS" on the Amiga smell like? Would a protected mode OS be viable for the Amiga market? *** What is the Amiga Market *** If you say the Amiga should compete in Markets similar to the PS/2 world, then I say: If there isn't an "AmigaDOS"-type OS that has protected mode before Christmas 1991, I'm out of here. :-( :-( :-( I bought the machine for Multi-tasking, and have enjoyed its power and flexibility. However, the graphics and exec had stood frozen almost since I bought the machine (dec 1985). I'm very jealous of my friends with '386 clones showing me VGA graphics. _The Concepts_ inside of OS/2 and Presentation Manager are "one-up" on the Amiga. My personal opinion is kill it [OS/2] or lose it. Although the NeXT cubes aren't really selling, their software will be showing up on machines labeled I.B.M. (Maybe my depression has been brought on by SIGGRAPH -- all those pretty displays; 1020 x 800 x _so_ many colors.) This is starting to get long... I'd like to see a capability based O.S. similar to Amoeba (Andy Tannenbaum, et al). Maybe running NeWS.. 14" to 25" displays, price starting about $5000. But that's not an Amiga anymore.. :-( > >Valentin >-- >The Goddess of democracy? "The tyrants Name: Valentin Pepelea > - Ancient Chinese Proverb Claimer: I not Commodore spokesman be --- President Hussein of Iraq isn't evil, he just wants America to carpool! --- brian witt, brian@babbage.ecs.csus.edu