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From: cunniff@hpfclq.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Are you playing with (enough) power?
Message-ID: <4230009@hpfclq.HP.COM>
Date: Wed, 18-Nov-87 12:26:27 EST
Article-I.D.: hpfclq.4230009
Posted: Wed Nov 18 12:26:27 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Nov-87 04:19:22 EST
References: <4124@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Lines: 31

In article <34014@sun.uucp>, cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) writes:
> Multitasking on the 2000 works, works cleanly,
> and to the extent that it doesn't have an MMU (and cannot protect you against
> other tasks scribbling in each others address spaces) works reliably. 
Amen.
> The only limit I have ever hit on the Amiga was running out of chip memory.
> With only 512K and each 640X200 window getting 32K (64K if they are 16
> color windows) you can run out of chip mem with less than 15 interactive
> tasks running.

Of course, this is only if the windows are saving their entire bitmap
for redisplay, and not just relying on software signals to tell them
when to redraw.  The first type of window acts just as Chuck describes, and
redraws nearly instantaneously, although with substantial memory usage.
The second type has a fairly small memory overhead (100 bytes? 200 bytes?
Something like that.), but is somewhat slower to redraw.  Note that console
(text) windows are typically of the second type.  A paint program, or
something like it, typically uses windows of the first type.

I would tell you the AmigaSpeak for each type of window, but I always get
them confused without looking them up (SIMPLE_REFRESH? SMART_REFRESH?  I
can come up with a rationale for which is which, BOTH WAYS :-> ).  Just
another instance of an over-the-hill programmer at 23 (have you read this
month's Amazing Computing yet?)

> --Chuck McManis

				Ross Cunniff
				Hewlett-Packard System Software Operation
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