Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!amiga!kodiak
From: kodiak@amiga.UUCP (Robert R. Burns)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: CIA Timer Example
Message-ID: <3227@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 30 Dec 88 20:48:17 GMT
References: <1439@percival.UUCP> <5587@cbmvax.UUCP> <38@sdcc10.ucsd.EDU>
Reply-To: kodiak@tooter.UUCP (Robert Burns)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc, Los Gatos CA
Lines: 36

In article ... (John Schultz) writes:
1) oldint :=  AddICRVector(CIAicrTB,timer,CIAResource^);
2) IF oldint # NIL THEN (* Not available? Take it by force! *)
3)   RemICRVector(CIAicrTB,oldint^,CIAResource^);
4)   IF AddICRVector(CIAicrTB,timer,CIAResource^) # NIL THEN (* Install ours *)
5)     WriteString("AddICRVector Failed.\n");(*What?! This should never happen*)

Unfortunately, there was no smiley face to calm me down.

Who is served in a multitasking environment by this kind of holier-than-thou,
stab-them-in-the-back programming mentality?  Certainly not the user!  The
Amiga has a few hardware resources which can be allocated by applications
that need them.  If they're already in use, do one of several things:
1.  Steal them, as above.  *No!*
2.  Die mysteriously.  *No!*
3.  Take the ln_Name of the oldint and present it to the user as an indication
    of what program precludes you from running.  *Yeah!*
    a.  *That's* why oldint was returned.
    b.  *That's* why filling in the ln_Name field of structures is useful.
    c.  *That way* the user is not mystified why one or the other of his
	applications went bust.

Remember multitasking!  See what happens when, between line 3 & line 4 above,
another task gets cycles and follows the rules?  Why *shouldn't* it happen?

Remember multitasking!  It imbues a special responsibility on Amiga
programmers to think harder and code better, so that one's goofs
do not cause another's application to appear buggy -- soiling the wrong
reputation.

- Kodiak
-- 
Bob Burns, amiga!kodiak                   _
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