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From: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Reality check: Amiga coverage is not a right, but a privilege
Message-ID: <1990Dec13.203354.16844@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 13 Dec 90 20:33:54 GMT
References: <1990Dec13.155848.8152@maytag.waterloo.edu>
Sender: news@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (The Daily News)
Organization: Columbia University
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In article <1990Dec13.155848.8152@maytag.waterloo.edu> giguere@csg.uwaterloo.ca (Eric Giguere) writes:
>Don't flame me for this, but.... most people DON'T need multitasking on
>their computer.  What they do need is a way to switch rapidly between
>applications and/or share data.  Very few people are TRULY doing two
>concurrent things.  (Print spooling is about the only thing I can think of
>that the average user will want to do.)  This is why MultiFinder on the
>Mac, the ultimate kludge, is successful.  It works!  (Well, usually.)  It's
>why Windows could get away with "co-operative multitasking".  It's why
>the IBM world proliferates with TSRs.

	Well, not a flame, just a wakeup call. My experience
comes mainly from working with traders at Citicorp in New York.
These people's lives could've been much better with multitasking.
MUCH! Two sets of examples:
	FoxBase. They would regularly run the SwapMIS report.
Their computer would proceed to be out of use for the next 40
minutes. A total waste of time, it could've been used for other
things.
	FutureSource. This is a program which keeps track via a
modem of LOTS of market information. Basically the modem is
continuously receiving data which must be analyzed. They have a
386 machine dedicated to only using this program. Although it
does allow you to run other programs by some miracle multitasking
attempt, you have DOS's 640K memory limit in the way and very
sluggish response (computer taken away at regular intervals).
	And of course there is general print spooling. 

	But then again, these are the people who buy Sun
workstations to run Lotus! (not kidding!)
	-- Ethan

	Woody Allen on Los Angeles:

	"I mean, who would want to live in a place where the only
cultural advantage is that you can turn right on a red light?"