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From: dant@ryptyde.UUCP (Daniel Tracy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Amiga bashing
Message-ID: <86@ryptyde.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jun 91 00:51:56 GMT
References: <1991Jun11.204407.16603@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <1991Jun20.200326.16487@bmerh409.bnr.ca>
Reply-To: dant@ryptyde.UUCP (Daniel Tracy)
Organization: Ryptyde Timesharing (ryptyde.cts.com)
Lines: 27

Responding to the following:

"Could someone expand on these statements?  A $2000 386/33Mhz actually
multitasks quite well under OS2/UNIX/WIN3."

Actually, Win3 won't pre-emptive multitask Windows applications. It only
pre-emptive multitasks DOS applications in 386 Enhanced mode because it
uses the 386's V86 mode, which limits it to 8086 functionality. OS/2
won't multitask DOS apps at all until 2.0 arrives. Unix has nice abilities
only on 386's and up since 286's and lower can't really support the full
range of Unix functionality.

"virtual memory support"

OS/2 uses the 286's much less efficient segmented virtual memory, instead
of the 386's paged virtual memory. In most cases, it is the 80x86 chip 
that limits the functionality of its OS's. Windows will use paged-VM
in 386 Enhanced mode. Win3's 386 Enhanced mode is its main advantage over
OS/2 until version 2.0 comes.

"memory protection"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the 286+ protected mode
provides memory protection based on its segmented design. It will
only detect if an application accesses memory outside of its segment.
If an OS were using a flat memory model (like OS/2 2.0) it can't provide
CPU-level memory protection. (?)