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From: grr@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac vs. Amiga (sorry)
Message-ID: <1279@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Jan-87 16:40:09 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.1279
Posted: Thu Jan 22 16:40:09 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Jan-87 01:01:19 EST
References: <241@elxsi.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 28
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.amiga:1612 comp.sys.mac:904

In article <241@elxsi.UUCP> fisher@elxsi.UUCP (Chuck Fisher) writes:
>
>Flame on: Although Amiga touts its multi-tasking capability,
>how many programs are written to take advantge of it?  I would
>agree that "background printing" is desireable, but a Mac can
>do that as well as an Amiga.  Most of the work that I do on the
>Mac are interactive in nature, and don't lend themselves that
>well to true multitasking.  Switcher and Servant provide most
>of the capabilities needed to integrate foreground tasks in my
>opinion.

You were doing good up till this, but now it looks like you are maybe
missing an important point.  When the system software is designed with
multi-tasking in mind, programs don't have to be written to take
advantage of multi-tasking.  It's just an option that exits when the
*user* needs/wants it.  The is one place where the MAC blew it, using
an event loop philosophy that sounds an awful lot like some 60's style*
design to implement state-of-the-art human interfaces.

* primitive online systems required batch programs to test for special
  events in their main processing loops, and branch to a special inquiry
  routine/program to handle requests from the 'online' terminal(s). We're
  talking 20-25 years ago, IBM 1401's and stuff.  Can you say 'desk
  accessory'?
-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)