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From: derek@speedy.WISC.EDU (Derek Zahn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Multi-tasking? A nightmare...
Message-ID: <4932@spool.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 87 17:38:38 GMT
References: <2027@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk> <22237@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <8155@prls.UUCP>
Sender: news@spool.cs.wisc.edu
Reply-To: derek@speedy.WISC.EDU (Derek Zahn)
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
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One particularly nice effect of having a personal computer with real
multitasking appears when software products are developed with that
capability in mind.  Using this approach, a program (for instance,
a CAD package) can be written to communicate with sub-modules running
as separate processes and communicating with the "main" program via
messages.

In this fashion, modules to provide new and special-purpose features can
be developed and distributed (either by the original manufacturer or
third parties) after software is released.  Users can choose whether or
not such modules are of interest to them as they are developed, and can
incorporate them into the system or not as they see fit.

Many applications could benefit from such a modular approach and although
it may be possible to achieve similar results on other machines, true
multitasking provides a powerful and aesthetically pleasing environment
for extensible software systems.  As an Amiga owner and programmer, I find
that exciting.

derek


Derek Zahn @ Wisconsin

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