Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!mordor!lll-tis!ptsfa!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!nuchat!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Amiga Wish List
Message-ID: <150@sugar.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Jun-87 01:19:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: sugar.150
Posted: Wed Jun 10 01:19:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jun-87 10:38:24 EDT
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 40
Keywords: AmigaDOS speed uw sysV

I'm sure most of this has already been discussed, but I'd like to toss
out my Amiga Wish List. Be warned that several suggestions here have led
to massive flames on CI$. I hope this forum has a more enlightened
readership.

1) Put file names in directories. It seems totally bizzarre to me that
a machine with a user interface (Intuition/Workbench) that had to repeatedly
scan directories should have directories that are so slow to scan. This
could be implemented in a backwards-compatible fashion by (for instance)
provoding a seperate fork for the file names. A better way would be a whole
new disk type. The new system should of course be able to read old disks.
If the directory has fewer than some 140 entries this will be at least
as fast, since 140 entries at 30 characters each (plus a few bytes of
overhead) will fit in a 5K disk track.

2) Have the workbench display all files. This would obviate the need
for stopgaps like DoTil and DirUtil.

3) Put a pointer to the .info file in the Comment field of the file, so that
your directories (for example) can share icons.

4) A new CON: device that uses a simple-refresh window, keeps track of 24
lines by 80 columns of text, and has scroll bars to pan a full size screen
in the window. I have implemented part of this as an excersize, and it's
way faster and more memory efficient than smart-refresh ones.

5) Sizing and dragging windows shouldn't lock layers, instead they should
use sprites to indicate the corners (a-la the HP Integral).

6) Allow an image to underly the workbench, ala the Xerox Star's "Mount Fuji".

7) It would be nice if uw could be made to work with System V shell layers.
I understand it only works with BSD job control.

8) There should be an unettended mode, where all requestors automatically
return failure. This would allow the machine to reliably run a BBS or operate
as a SCADA master-station.

9) Could someone post the missing information from the AutoDocs? I bought
1.2 and can't use the new intuition calls because I don't have them.