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From: john13@garfield.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Super-Workbench; AmigaDOS drawer opening & directory listings
Message-ID: <3887@garfield.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Aug-87 19:44:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: garfield.3887
Posted: Mon Aug 17 19:44:32 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Aug-87 02:16:57 EDT
References: <3883@garfield.UUCP> <1468@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <4697@sunybcs.UUCP>
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial U. of Newfoundland, St. John's
Lines: 35
Keywords: ideas workbench
Summary: look! feel!

> In article <1468@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> ralph@ATRP.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Amiga-Man) writes:
> >Bravo ! Let's hear it for the development of a "super" workbench.
> >While were tossing ideas, let's also consider,
> > ...
> >-  and ---> *FASTER DRAWER OPENING* <---, like by clustering "*.info" files
> >   so it only takes *ONE* file open and read to get a drawer open.
> >   ( Oops... maybe this isn't in the workbench, but in the "info" library.)

As well, since I don't think the idea of having a textual directory list is
anyone's trademark, there should be something similar to the option on the
Atari (not sure about the Mac) for "Display icons or text?". The window would
then either present the usual icons, or a text dir listing with scroll bars,
and the names could be clicked upon for info, rename, etc.

Note that I don't really care about alphabetical listings, although I can't
see why they should be slower than positional listings.

If you want to see why IBM's and such have relatively fast directories, don't
go to books of comp theory -- use the intuitive, visual approach. Rip (yeah!)
the cover from an IBM drive and do a directory. The head just drops straight
down onto the directory track, the disk spins, the directory prints, and
that's it. I've done enough Disksalv's to know that, regardless of all the
talk about hashed directory structure, all the good stuff is bunched together
pretty well in one spot. Bryce, anyone, figure out a good FAST way around
this (backwards compatible as well)! The Vorpal loader from Epyx for the C64
shows that it isn't too difficult to mix different types of files on the same
disk, some that load like turtles and others that resemble lightning. And they
offer a speed increase of about 25X over the normal 64 speed (yes, 2500%).

John
-- 
"She's sort of a 'pit baby', with interlocking jaws. We feed her on chicken 
parts."
"But baby-fighting has been outlawed, hasn't it?"
	-- Tracy Ullman describing her infant daughter to David Letterman