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From: long@mcntsh.enet.dec.com (Rich Long)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: True Multitasking
Message-ID: <19064@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 16 Jan 91 18:44:38 GMT
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 25


In article <48122@apple.Apple.COM>, heksterb@Apple.COM (Ben Hekster) writes...
>Have you ever
>experienced mouse operations in preemptive multitasking environments?  My
>experience with X Window on high-performance workstations (various window
>managers), for instance has been that feedback is frequently so *awful*
>(intermittent, or no reaction to mouse movements at all for periods on the
>order of many seconds) as to make complicated interactions extremely
>difficult.  (No flame on X intended, just an observation on the workstation
>environment)

 Surely have. I use X windows on a VAX 3100 every day. Mouse response is
 immediate in just about all cases. And I can hold down menus all day!

 Look, to some extent, we're comparing two very different environments. I was
 merely pointing out that some operations on the Mac could benefit from
 preemptive multitasking, in my opinion. This is not to say that I am
 dissatisfied with MultiFinder! In fact, I think Apple did a very good job in
 grafting multitasking into an environment that was not designed for it. For
 90% of what I do, it's fine. But when I have to format a bunch of
 disks...arrgh!

Richard C. Long  *  long@mcntsh.enet.dec.com       
                 *  ...!decwrl!mcntsh.enet.dec.com!long 
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