Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!husc6!sunfs3!kent
From: kent@sunfs3.camex.uucp (Kent Borg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: System 7 question
Summary: Single tasking mode: yes and no
Keywords: MultiFinder
Message-ID: <578@sunfs3.camex.uucp>
Date: 16 Dec 89 04:18:37 GMT
References: <10734@claris.com>
Reply-To: kent@lloyd.UUCP (Kent Borg)
Organization: Camex, Inc., Boston, Mass USA
Lines: 47

In article <10734@claris.com> peirce@claris.com (Michael Peirce) writes:
>One question has been bothering me about System 7.  That is, I understand
>the MultiFinder is always enabled, but what about certain types of
>applications that really don't seem to make sense with this setup.
...
>Will there be some way to run a "UniFinder-like" environment?  

If you ask Apple, the answer is no.  If you want the truth, the answer
will be yes.

There are just too many situations where some sort of "single user
mode" will be needed for Apple to completely lock it out.  One of the
first and loudest hacks discussed here and elsewhere will be how to
get into and use this single tasking mode.

Apple themselves will be forced to use the single tasking mode for
*some* utility or other and we all will be wondering how we can use it
too (for chasing WDEF viruses and the such).  I hazard to suggest that
there is not a general purpose computer out there which does not have
some sort of single tasking mode for diagnostic and maintenance
purposes.

Realize that what Apple says to developers about MultiFinder always
being there is really going to be true.  My Mom won't have any notion
on how or why she might use a single tasking mode.  Unix machines have
single user mode, but no one *runs* them that way, and so it will be
with the Macintosh: we hacker types will know to get into single
tasking mode, but no one will use it on a regular basis.  To many
things will be missing to be tolerable.

Even your examples of servers and point of sale terminals will often
want MultiFinder.  Servers these days start serving up more than just
AppleShare, and more multitasking will be needed.  Point of sale
terminals could also easily want multitasking: 7.0 (eventually) is
supposed to give us print spooling for all printers.  P.O.S. terminals
want printers.  What about communications?  P.O.S. terminals usually
talk to something--often made easier by multitasking.  

Remember, no one buys Macintoshs because we think they are a cheap way
to get lots of computing horse power on our desks.  We buy Macintoshs
for their user interface, and once 7.0 is out, MultiFinder will become
more and more important to the user interface.

-- 
Kent Borg                  lloyd!kent@husc6.harvard.edu or ...!husc6!lloyd!kent
                                              H:(617) 776-6899  W:(617)426-3577
"Progress is the root of all evil"
      -Al Capp (from the musical "Lil' Abner")