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From: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: System 8.0: no more DA's.
Message-ID: <6692@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 16 Dec 88 16:16:32 GMT
References: <1988Dec14.223739.16280@cs.rochester.edu> <321@internal.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 43

In article <321@internal.Apple.COM> goldman@Apple.COM (Phil Goldman) writes:
>As an aside to the person asking about TRUE multitasking in 8.0, MultiFinder
>already supports true multitasking.  That is, it divvies up CPU time
>between multiple applications.  If the reference is to preemptive multitasking,
>then there is really no reason to get excited.  Preemptive multitasking
>will make life a bit easier on developers, but not much, and have no
>typical effect on users.  The only point at which preemptive multitasking is
>more useful to a Mac end user is when he is using a buggy app.

  I don't typically like to disagree with Apple or it's employee's, because
they're closer to the action than I am and seem to know whats going on.  But
to make the statement that pre-emptive multitasking won't make a difference
is ridiculas {sp??}.   Right now the application has to give up the processor
thru one of a few limited calls,  if applications don't make these calls
the computer essentially becomes single-tasking.

  As an example start Smartcom downloading and stuffit uncompressing, stuffit
doesn't make these calls fast enough and causes Smartcom to timeout on the
download.  Now if you're trying to tell me that pre-emptive multitasking
won't make a difference, then I need to re-take my OS course and explain to
my teacher why everyone should use non-pr-emptive M/T because there really
is no difference.

  The problem with non-pre-emptive M/T is that the CPU can be hoged by one
process and in theory never given up.  Pre-emptive M/T doesn't allow a process
to do this and gives each process the same amount of time when the process is
considered active.  This allows for processes to "slow" down in execution, but
it would be nothing compared to the slow-->fast-->slow-->what's-going-on
performance under the current Multi-Finder system.

  Pre-emptive M/T is more than a fix for developers, it will allow the user to
run several applications without having to worry if the "background"
applications are doing too much and will slow down the foreground applications.

  Sorry this got longer than I intended, and I don't mean to flame Apple or
Mr. Goldman for taking to time to read and post on the net.  But I think
that pre-emptive M/T is more than a fix for developers, and Mr. Goldmans 
statements about there not being "much" difference need some more thought.
-- 
David M. O'Rourke                                  dorourke@polyslo.calpoly.edu

"If it doesn't do Windows, then it's not a computer!!!"
Disclaimer: I don't represent the school.  All opinions are mine!