Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!hc!lll-winken!uunet!visix!jeff
From: jeff@visix.UUCP (Jeff Barr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: Iconitis
Summary: OS Vs. Interface
Message-ID: <192@visix.UUCP>
Date: 12 Apr 89 12:14:14 GMT
References: <1930@dataio.Data-IO.COM> <11555@lanl.gov> <17376@cisunx.UUCP> <3810@ficc.uu.net>
Organization: Visix Software, Arlington, Virginia
Lines: 33

> [ I was complaining about the lack of multitasking on the PC and MAC ]
> 
> In article <191@visix.UUCP>, jeff@visix.UUCP (Jeff Barr) writes:
> > This is purely an operating system problem, its not related to the interface
> > at all.
> 
> It's related to the interface, since most of what little O/S there is on the
> Mac (and now with Windows and its successors, the PC) is entirely oriented
> towards the user interface. You can't write a program on these machines
> unless it's tied tightly to the user interface. The whole concept of running
> in the background is alien.

I disagree, but don't have the time to get into a major discussion about 
this.  The operating system and the interface are distinct on both the Mac
and Windows.  I'll agree that background support is limited (but possible
on both of these operating systems).  

A sufficiently powerful interface should allow access to all interesting parts 
of the underlying operating system; it shouldn't ignore powerful (but 
sometimes hard to visually present/activate) features.

							Jeff
> -- 
> Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
> 
> Business: uunet.uu.net!ficc!peter, peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180.
> Personal: ...!texbell!sugar!peter, peter@sugar.hackercorp.com.


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