Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:6465 comp.sys.amiga:11786
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From: rminnich@udel.EDU (Ron Minnich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multi-tasking? A nightmare...
Message-ID: <848@louie.udel.EDU>
Date: 18 Dec 87 16:42:09 GMT
References: <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk>
Reply-To: rminnich@udel.EDU (Ron Minnich)
Organization: University of Delaware
Lines: 36

In article <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk> pes@ux63.bath.ac.uk (Smee) writes:
on multitasking ...
>
>But, I question its usefulness (and even desireability) on typical 'home
>computers' in a 'home' environment -- and let's face it, that's where most
>of the Amigas and Ataris sold end up.  What I am questioning is TRUE
>multi-tasking.  I've got no argument with 'carousels' of suspended programs,
> ...
>I have an image of telling my machine 'make fred', and then letting it get on
>with it while I do a bit of word-processing, or whatever.  Only to be hit
>milliseconds later with an alert box:
>       BACKGROUND COMPILATION NEEDS LIBRARY DISK
>       PLEASE INSERT LIBRARY DISK INTO DRIVE B
  First off, if you are telling your machine 'make fred' then you 
are not a typical user either. If you are using make then 
you probably want multitasking. 
  Second off, i know a number of typical users of machines. 
These are people who do not program and just want to use
their spreadsheets and appointment calendars and whatever. Once
the light goes on in their heads about TRUE multitasking (NOT
kludges like Switcher and 'carousels' and so on) they begin to 
think of things that had not occurred to ME - the alleged expert. 
Multitasking is natural to anyone who can walk and chew gum. Others need
not apply. Which is why both Big Blue and Mac are going to 
emphasize multitasking in a very short time- like now. I don't know about
Atari, but i wouldn't be surprised if they fell into it too. 
I seem to recall that a lot of people wanted (want?) OS/9
and/or Minix for the Atari- seems a natural to me.
  Multitasking is the future of home machines. I just read 
an article by a journalist who talked about
computers in 2007. Much of what he described the Amiga does now,
in particular a description of his home machine doing two things at once,
but since he was a PC-oid ... you fill in the blanks.
I just love journalists- especially when they write about computers.
-- 
ron (rminnich@udel.edu)