Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!jdickson From: jdickson@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Jeff Dickson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: Amiga Custom Chips - why hasn't C= made them faster? Message-ID: <1991Apr3.225433.16594@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> Date: 3 Apr 91 22:54:33 GMT References: <1991Apr2.235710.13984@news.iastate.edu> <1991Apr3.201259.8377@engin.umich.edu> Reply-To: jdickson@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Jeff Dickson) Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Lines: 40 In article <1991Apr3.201259.8377@engin.umich.edu> milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu (Daryl Scott Cantrell) writes: >In article <1991Apr2.235710.13984@news.iastate.edu> xgr39@CCVAX.IASTATE.EDU writes: >>In article , cpetterb@glacier.sim.es.com (Cary Petterborg) writes: >>[...] >>available. It also explains many significant features -- including >>virtual memory, memory protection, resource tracking, and >>device-independent video -- are still absent from the Amiga's O.S. >>[...] > > What is the big deal about memory protection and resource tracking? >Sure, it might be a nice toy, but it wouldn't be real useful on a >single-user system. Is this one of those things people want just >because Unix has it? > I partially disagree. I could care-less about resource tracking, but memory protection is important and not because UNIX has it. While the Amiga may not be multiuser, it is multi-tasking and it is very disturbing to have the entire machine go belly up due to a memory error induced by one task. In the past, I thought it would be nice to have a BBS run concurrently while I did development work, but the lack of memory protection doesn't warrant this. Yes, the Amiga is a single user machine and unfortunately it is single purpose for some of my purposes. I can only hope that one day, some- kind of memory protection is incorporated into the O.S. if an MMU is avail- able. I've heard the arguments against it, but nothing that hasn't already been done on costlier (had to put that in) systems. -jeff > >> / Marc Barrett | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / >>/ ISU COM S Student | Internet: XGR39@CCVAX.IASTATE.EDU / > > >-- >+---------------------------------------+----------------------------+ >| // Daryl S. Cantrell | These opinions are | >| |\\\ milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu | shared by all of // | >| |// Evolution's over. We won. | Humanity. \X/ | >+---------------------------------------+----------------------------+