Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!caip!meccts!mecc!sewilco From: sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Newsgroups: net.micro.mac Subject: Re: Multitasking Message-ID: <547@mecc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 15-Aug-86 22:26:36 EDT Article-I.D.: mecc.547 Posted: Fri Aug 15 22:26:36 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 17-Aug-86 10:39:06 EDT References: <154@uwmacc.UUCP> Reply-To: sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Distribution: net Organization: MN Ed Comp Corp, St Paul, MN Lines: 36 Summary: Don't confuse multitasking with its scheduling algorithm. In article <154@uwmacc.UUCP> gdavis@uwmacc.UUCP (Gary Davis) writes: > A debate over multitasking crops up occasionally, with some >claiming it really has little use, while others insisting it is >essential for efficient use of a computer. One argument for mutitasking >is that it permits you to do something else on your computer while >waiting for it to compile code or recalculate a spreadsheet. But >wouldn't it be far preferable to use a compiler or spreadsheet that is >fast enough that any wait is negligeable and your train of thought is "fast enough"? The tasks will be made more complex until they're "slow enough". >not broken. Multi- tasking would only slow a slow program down and >... Multitasking allows your computer to "keep track of" and schedule more than one program for execution. As you say, this can be used by a human to place more load on a machine in order for the human's time to be used more efficiently ("do something else while waiting for the program"). However, multitasking also allows the computer's time to be used more efficiently (ie, printing or transferring files while waiting for input from a human or device). This was the original reason for multitasking and timesharing. Computer time used to be very expensive, remember? A multitasking system has some kind of scheduler which decides which tasks ("processes", "programs") get processor time. If you want to optimize the human's time, give the human's task a high priority and only do the other tasks when the human's task is idle (ie, spreadsheet waiting for input). Personally, I leave everything at the same priority and let uucp and the print spooler take their little nibbles of processor time when they wish. If a Mac had an MMU it would be faster than this Lisa, and would be a nice XENIX workstation (although no match for Sun3 performance). -- Scot E. Wilcoxon Minn Ed Comp Corp {quest,dicome,meccts}!mecc!sewilco 45 03 N 93 08 W (612)481-3507 {{caip!meccts},ihnp4,philabs}!mecc!sewilco Laws are society's common sense, recorded for the stupid. The alert question everything anyway.