Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!templar!jbickers
From: jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: How do we change the scheduler? (Was Re: Multitasking at home...)
Message-ID: <10620.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 22 Jan 91 23:41:06 GMT
References: <1991Jan18.231330.16290@Neon.Stanford.EDU> <7553@sugar.hackercorp.com> <1991Jan21.004720.25985@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <12880@life.ai.mit.edu> <1991Jan21.072642.23587@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: TAP, NZAmigaUG.
Lines: 29

Quoted from <1991Jan21.072642.23587@Neon.Stanford.EDU> by torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan J Torrie):
>   How does the Amiga handle priorities for interactive tasks?  e.g. if
> I have a word processor in the foreground, in which I'm scrolling
> around, typing characters in etc, can you guarantee that it gets more
> time (by setting it to a higher priority) than background tasks?  Is

    Yes, the user can set priorities.

> that handled automatically by the system (i.e. recognising interactive
> tasks)?

    No. Programs can set their own priorities, however, and the input
    handling task runs at a higher priority than anything else (so if
    you raise an application's priority to, say, 1 (normal is 0), then
    you will still get input).

    A number of programs display some intelligence about what priority
    to use automatically (like editors that edit at priority 1, or
    executable packers that crunch at priority -1, etc). And some can
    be configured.

    The input handling task runs at a priority of 20, and this is what
    handles using Intuition, so at that level interactive use stays
    reasonable.

> Evan Torrie.  Stanford University, Class of 199?       torrie@cs.stanford.edu   
--
*** John Bickers, TAP, NZAmigaUG.        jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz ***
***         "Patterns multiplying, re-direct our view" - Devo.          ***