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From: rb@ccivax.UUCP (rex ballard)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: what's needed for a home pc
Message-ID: <296@ccivax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 12:38:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccivax.296
Posted: Fri Oct  4 12:38:45 1985
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> Bob Van Cleef			{ihnp4|akgua|decvax|dcdwest|ucbvax}
> One thing that is needed for a true home computer is multi-tasking, multi-user.
> 
> Multi-Tasking:
> 
> You will never get someone to use their machine for recipes if they have
> to disable the environmental monitors to bring up the recipe program.  
> No one will be happy using it as a telepone directory if they have to 
> abort their personal finance programs just to look up a phone number
> or take notes on an incoming call.

	On this one I agree with you 100%.  I can think of a dozen more
	reasons for multitasking, but time is short.
> 
> Multi-User:
> 
> The cook will not go into the den to get a recipe, the student will
> not go into the kitchen to check the spelling of a word.  You should
> have the ability to scatter terminals throughout the house.  You need
> the ability to connect the above mentioned environmental monitors.
> And everyone should be able to use it when THEY want to, not when
> daddy is done with it.
>
	On this one, there are times when multi-user is desirable (Like
	being able to run a BBS in the background), but if you want
	everyone to use it when THEY want to, the cost of graphics
	(you do want graphics don't you),... in a "Terminal" will
	raise the price well above that of an ATARI-ST.  I think
	"True networking" is more important than simple ASCII
	 ^^(remote file management ie-open, close, read, write, seek, & flush
	    of remote FILES rather than DEVICES, or "Whole file transferr")
	Multi-User.  Buy more "low cost" PC's as the family
	needs them, and share the "Peripherals".

Add to the list:

Automatic file lock on files opened for write (Unix doesn't provide that yet).
	you don't have system administrators to "bail you out".

"In use" indicators to cause delay of writes to files/devices currently
being read.