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From: harald@ccicpg.UUCP ( Harald Milne)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The Next Generation
Message-ID: <5294@ccicpg.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Nov-87 05:25:54 EST
Article-I.D.: ccicpg.5294
Posted: Mon Nov 16 05:25:54 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Nov-87 07:27:31 EST
References: <2785@megaron.arizona.edu>
Organization: CCI CPD, Irvine CA
Lines: 37
Summary: On the mark

In article <2785@megaron.arizona.edu>, rogerh@arizona.edu (Roger Hayes) writes:
> There have been some folks clamoring for virtual memory for the next
> generation.  I would like to speak up on the other side of the issue.
> Some of the things that makes the Amiga so nice to use and to program for
> are the extremely low latency of task switching and the extremely low
> overhead of message passing.  Both of these are likely to go down the
> drain if memory protection is added.

	I am glad somebody finally said this. The Amiga does not have the
massive context switch overhead involved with user space and virtual memory
maps. Thank god. That is why there is low latency, nothing to switch in
context. Virtual UNIX on the Amiga or the Sun or the Mac II will suck, and cost
a lot. Not to mention the added overhead of purging translation buffers.

	Although the Amiga is multitasking, and not multiuser, this is
an advantage. There is no reason to support the multiuser feature of UNIX
on the Amiga, simply since it isn't. (After all, it is MY machine)
I call it multitasking without the excess baggage!

> As an extreme example, look at Sun workstations -- it takes tens of
> seconds to open a window, because you have to make several trips down
> through Unix and back up into the application code to get the job
> done.  On my Sun at work (a 2-50), I can easily drag a window faster
> than the display can keep up, so that the window outline chases around
> the screen for 10 seconds after the mouse is still.  This is because
> Sun task switching is slow -- thanks to Unix and virtual memory.

	That is a very good example. Suns die like dogs doing anything
UNIX. Not to mention ack, gack, wheeze. To bad this is the street Apple
is walking down on for the Mac II. Boy do they have a few suprises! I
won't even mention the astronomical costs to accomplish this!
UNIX on micros is silly, unless you like waiting or paying for the performance.
Considering the Amiga does very well without, is a point in its favor.
-- 
Work: Computer Consoles Inc. (CCI), Advanced Development Group (ADG)
      Irvine, CA (RISCy business! Home of the CCI POWER 6/32)
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