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From: dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development
Message-ID: <8709291633.AA11713@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Tue, 29-Sep-87 12:33:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: cory.8709291633.AA11713
Posted: Tue Sep 29 12:33:07 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Oct-87 04:11:42 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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>...
>routines to get around the slowness of GEM.  Flash! has custom
>RS-232 drivers.  Jim Kent's Cyberpaint is almost all custom code.
>There are others as well.  GEM's portability seems to have
>resulted in slowness.  What's more, that problem has create
>a reality where simply running GEM on the Amiga in itself
>won't help that much to port the software running under it.

	This isn't much of a surprise considering that GEM was originally
based on the same principles as PC/MSDOS.  PC/MSDOS is so notoriously slow 
that most good programs for the IBM use custom code for everything but 
keyboard and disk IO...  Most of the disk backup programs use custom code
for the disk IO.

	So while GEM and MSDOS might be 'portable', it turns out you need
to duplicate or simulate the underlying hardware anyway to get things to 
work.

Warning to C-A: Unless you fix AmigaDOG, this is what is going to eventually
happen on the Amiga as well.  (Side Note: It happens on all computers,
including the Amiga; I am refering to large scale customization).

>     I've heard knowledgable programs say that you can't multi-task
>with GEM.  I have heard others say you can.  I'm tired of hearing
>speculation.  I'll believe it when I see it.

	Second that.  With most programs taking over the Atari's screen
anyway, completely integrated multitasking is out.

					-Matt