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From: new@udel.edu (Darren New)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: 'Virtual Monitors'
Message-ID: <7510@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 5 Jan 90 18:25:34 GMT
References: <1086@crash.cts.com> <18316@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Sender: usenet@udel.EDU
Reply-To: new@udel.edu (Darren New)
Organization: University of Delaware
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In article <18316@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> matthews@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Jim Matthews) writes:
>>stuff about amiga screen resolutions more flexable than the Mac's
>This flexibility violates the spirit of a multitasking OS.  A program
>shouldn't be able to unilaterally modify the appearance of another
>program's window.  Allowing programs to change resolution or screen
>depth means that they can monopolize a shared resource, namely the
>screen.
>...
>Jim Matthews
>Dartmouth Software Development

Say what?  Methinks you have not used an Amiga much... (no offense).
Programs that want to change the resolution and colors they use generally
open a new (virtual) screen, not modify an already-existant screen.
There is a standard (virtual) screen (the "workbench" screen) which applications
normally share and which some hacks modify the parameters of in a 
usually-invisible way. But programs which want something other than the
standard workbench screen (like paint programs, say) normally open their
own screen which can appear in front of, in back of, or along with the
workbench screen at the user's discretion. Saying that the Amiga programs
which change resolution "monopolize" a shared resource is like saying that
a Mac program can "monopolize" the screen by openning a window that 
overlaps other windows.  I would not call either of these situations
"monolopize" because the user has complete control in both cases of what
is seen.  Normally, programs that open "custom" screens are usually the only
programs to open windows on that screen, whereas the "workbench" screen
(and maybe others in the future) are shared by all. -- Darren

(Notice that bashing something into the ground can get you around 
 the INews include limit? :-)