Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!ccwf.cc.utexas.edu From: greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: advice please - Atari-ST or Amiga Message-ID: <43991@ut-emx.uucp> Date: 11 Feb 91 00:19:24 GMT References: <1991Feb8.034504.16670@santra.uucp> <1991Feb9.213904.782@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Feb10.023415.8641@santra.uucp> <1991Feb10.073020.9858@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Feb10.160548.17877@santra.uucp> Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp Reply-To: greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) Organization: The University of Texas at Austin Lines: 30 In article <1991Feb10.160548.17877@santra.uucp> s37837k@saha.hut.fi (Jari Lehto) writes: >That Multitasking-OS I have for my ST works like the regular ST-desktop. >The different tasks are in their own windows. You change between them simply >by clicking with mouse inside the window. And you can ewen go to the back- >round-process without bringing it out by holding down the right mouse-button. >This OS also has its dark points. It demands a huge amount of memory and >a very fast CPU to operate without complaints. But so does every OS with >multitasking. Jari, I don't want to call you a liar, but maybe you'd better describe that "multitasking" OS a bit better. It sounds like a simple task-switcher to me. Multitasking means that all of the programs are running at once. BTW, your statement that every multitasking OS requires huge amounts of memory and a fast CPU is simply wrong. My A500 still has the stock 7.14Mhz 68000 in it. I have 3.5MB of RAM, but I use 1.5MB of it as a recoverable RAM-Disk, and I have 1.3MB free. That means that I am using about 700K of memory and I have 10 CLI-processes alone running. In all, there are 21 tasks currently running on my system. I use this particular setup every day, and the machine still works as if each program is the only one running. That's basically due to the provisions made in the OS that eliminate CPU- intensive programming techniques such as busy-waiting fo keyboard input. Greg -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I don't know what it is I like about you, but I like it a lot." -- Led Zeppelin, Communication Breakdown -------Greg-Harp-------greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu-------s609@cs.utexas.edu-------