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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: misc.legal,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.apple,comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.hp,comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Apple Challenges HP New Wave, MS-Windows, Potentially OS/2 PM
Message-ID: <1120@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: 20 Apr 88 16:09:55 GMT
References: <5480@well.UUCP> <5492@well.UUCP> <535@nunki.usc.edu> <3871@killer.UUCP>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 37
Summary: Amiga approach


<< How does one keep things straight, since the amiga has
   only one menu bar at the top of the screen, rather than
   popping up a menu from the top of the active window, as
   is the case in Windows 2.03? >>


Two ways:

1.  The active window's title bar is highlighted.  That way, one
knows which window from whence the menus cometh.  That sounds like
a kludgey answer, but it is more intuitive than it sounds.  It
would be obvious what I meant, if I could show you.  Alas, the
netnews doesn't support pictures.  With windows 2.03, the menus
sometimes pop up above the menu bar or below depending where on the
screen the window happens to be; this is sort of distracting (at
least distracting to me).  I'd rather just always click at the top
of the screen.  Trust me, it isn't really confusing.

2.  The amiga supports a concept which is apparently unique to the
Amiga.  At least I personally haven't seen it elsewhere.  Could
well be, though as I haven't seen every window based system in
existance.  The Amiga uses a concept called screens.  Screens can
be rolled up and down like the windows on a car go up and down.
Windows are rendered onto the screens.  Each screen has its own
menu strip at the top of the screen, and the menu strip always
travels with the screen.  Something complex like a desktop
publishing system can open a screen and render its windows onto
that screen, thus preventing confusion with other stuff that is
just running the O/S or whatever.  I like it; it is sort of like
having your cake and eating it too.  If you haven't seen the Amiga,
its worth a trip in to see the Amiga 2000.  I have used the
Macintosh, the  Amiga and Windows.  I like the Amiga concept the
best of the three ways.  The amiga hardware is really just now
getting to the point where it is honestly capable of delivering the
performance comensurate with the needs of the O/S.

--Bill