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From: jwwalker@opusc.csd.scarolina.edu (Jim Walker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Multitasking =/=> Background printing, copying, etc.?
Message-ID: <1991May24.175454.14067@opusc.csd.scarolina.edu>
Date: 24 May 91 17:54:54 GMT
References: <1441@mephisto.edu>
Organization: Univ. of S. Carolina, Department of Mathematics
Lines: 23

In article <1441@mephisto.edu> ashwin@cc.gatech.edu (Ashwin Ram) writes:
>Given that system 7 has "multitasking" and the "new print architecture", I
>would expect to be able to print in the background.  After all, printing is
>just another task like anything else, right?  

System 7 does NOT have the hoped-for new printing architecture.  That was
one of the wishes that was dropped under time pressure.

>Even without a spooler, I would
>expect to be able to put the application that is printing into the background
>and work on something else, just like I can do with any other task.
[stuff deleted]
>-- Ashwin (ashwin@cc.gatech.edu)

Even under System 6/MultiFinder, a well-written application could print
from the background, but few were written that way.  That's why I wrote
PrintAid, a control panel extension which (usually) allows an application
that's printing to be put into the background.

I think PrintAid 1.1 is at the usual ftp sites: sumex-aim, mac-archive,
rascal.   Warning:  It's not 32-bit clean.
-- 
  -- Jim Walker 76367.2271@compuserve.com  walker@math.scarolina.edu