Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:6521 comp.sys.amiga:11940
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!psuvax1!vu-vlsi!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multi-tasking? A nightmare...
Message-ID: <2993@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 21 Dec 87 23:41:57 GMT
References: <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 40

in article <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk>, pes@ux63.bath.ac.uk (Smee) says:
> Xref: cbmvax comp.sys.atari.st:6756 comp.sys.amiga:12332

> 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,
> and no problem with resident background interrupt handlers, such as print
> spoolers.

You're certainly correct in assuming that if you've got one task that needs
both drives to function, and you change a disk in one of them, that task
is likely to complain.  All that requires is a bit of forethought.

However, in the very small system case, like maybe a floppy or two and 512K,
you'll still find that multitasking is very nice.  For example, the OS on the
Amiga runs separate tasks to do lots of work for you.  The mouse never slows
down much under heavy loads, as the mouse handler is running at a much higher
priority than most user tasks.  

Another nice thing is that true multitasking eliminates the need for desk
accessories, and all the kludge that goes along with such items.  On non-
multitasking machines, a desk accessory is a special kind of program (must
be specially written to be accessory, or worse, an IBM-style TSR program).
And in order to get this program from within a regular one, the programmer
of that regular program must call some LookForARequestForDeskAccessory()
function as often as possible.  With real multitasking, there's no such thing
as a desk accessory; all programs are written the same way, and if memory
permits, you can call up WordPerfect or Emacs just as easily as NotePad to
jot down something during a compile or terminal session.

If you get into programming much, you'll also find that the ability to spawn
off subtasks is quite a nice thing to have around.  Now, you're not going to
get very far on a 512K machine doing UNIX style fork()s all over the place,
but the lightweight task model you find in the Amiga OS is perfectly useful
in such a context.  
-- 
Dave Haynie     Commodore-Amiga    Usenet: {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh
   "The B2000 Guy"              PLINK : D-DAVE H             BIX   : hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"