Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:6491 comp.sys.amiga:11843 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!ames!oliveb!olivej!dragon From: dragon@olivej.olivetti.com (Give me a quarter or I'll touch you) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Multi-tasking? A nightmare... Message-ID: <11191@oliveb.UUCP> Date: 20 Dec 87 22:00:29 GMT References: <2959@cbmvax.UUCP> Sender: news@oliveb.UUCP Lines: 52 in article <2959@cbmvax.UUCP>, andy@cbmvax.UUCP (Andy Finkel) says: > In article <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk> pes@ux63.bath.ac.uk (Smee) writes: >>I can't think of *any* two tasks which I do on my home machine which >>take enough time to make m/p profitable, and which could co-exist sensibly >>with only two floppy drives. I suspect (OPINION, MINE, MY VERY OWN) that >>the same is true of the usage patterns of MOST home machines -- and, again, >>I emphasize that I think this present group is unrepresentative, and very >>much a minority. > Except of course, the classic FORMAT a diskette while the terminal > program is downloading the file to the ramdisk, or make a backup > disk before saving the massive changes you just made to your novel... I think that these arguments aren't representative of an *average* user, since an average user is more likely not to own a modem. Making a backup of a disk before saving changes isn't multitasking. It's context (or process) switching. In my opinion, context switching is a good thing for the average user. Why add the overhead of a multitasking system when an average user probably needs only context switching? > Or run a terminal program and a word processor at the same time, > and produce well formatted answers as you read a BBS. Reading messages and generating replies in a word processor is again a case of context switching. But then the average user doesn't call a BBS, either. Multitasking would allow reading of the messages, then the user could download a file while generating replies to the already read messages. > I'm biased, though. No way would I want to go back to a single tasking > computer for anything. Neither would I. Well, I do. But I don't think you are an average user, and I don't consider myself one. I think multitasking is a great tool for us hackers, though. > -- > andy finkel {ihnp4|seismo|allegra}!cbmvax!andy > Commodore-Amiga, Inc. > > "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from > a rigged demo." > > Any expressed opinions are mine; but feel free to share. > I disclaim all responsibilities, all shapes, all sizes, all colors. Dean Brunette {ucbvax,etc.}!hplabs!oliveb!olivej!dragon {ucbvax,etc.}!hplabs!oliveb!dragon-oatc!dean Olivetti Advanced Technology Center _____ _____ __|__ _____ 20300 Stevens Creek Blvd. | | _____| | | Cupertino, CA 95014 |_____| |_____| |__ |_____ 'Such a strange girl, I think I'm falling in love' --The Cure