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From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Amiga basher
Message-ID: <22549@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 18 Jun 91 19:45:10 GMT
References: <56@ryptyde.UUCP> <1991Jun16.152251.17044@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <60@ryptyde.UUCP> <1991Jun17.225758.10283@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 24

In article <1991Jun17.225758.10283@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>In article <60@ryptyde.UUCP> dant@ryptyde.UUCP (Daniel Tracy) writes:

>In any case, all Mac apps are written to the same "event loop" model. Programs
>like HaiCalc, which use a client-server model, are impossible. Conventional
>UNIX programs that often spin for a protracted period number-crunching are
>extremely unfriendly to the Mac.

In fact, I never though of it that way, but it's true, Mac and UNIX programs 
have exactly opposite call requirements.  A Mac program needs to call the OS
as frequently as reasonable, in order to get swapped when needed.  A UNIX 
program would like to make as few kernel calls a possible, especially in time
critical areas, since kernel calls are often expensive (MMU context swaps,
cache dumps, etc. needed to invoke kernel mode).

There's a reasonable amount of UNIXish software ported to the Amiga, especially
usenet and GNU stuff.  I've only done a couple of these, but as long as you have
a reasonable compiler library, they're pretty easy to port.  Does anyone know
if the Mac has much in the way of UNIX ports, and if so, whether they can 
behave well without major redesign?
-- 
Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: hazy     BIX: hazy
	"This is my mistake.  Let me make it good." -R.E.M.