steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) (11/10/90)
I'm seeing vague references to yet another ST multitasker on the Citadel BBS network. The name is SliccTop, and it supposedly multitasks GEM and TOS programs. If anyone has further info, especially a press release, I'd appreciate receiving a copy. ---- Steve Yelvington / P. O. Box 38 / Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 USA INTERNET: steve@thelake.mn.org UUCP: plains!umn-cs!thelake!steve
ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (11/10/90)
steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes: - I'm seeing vague references to yet another ST multitasker on the - Citadel BBS network. The name is SliccTop, and it supposedly - multitasks GEM and TOS programs. If anyone has further info, - especially a press release, I'd appreciate receiving a copy. I saw it at San Jose WOA. It wasn't much at the time, but it seems like he's (forget his name) fixed it up since then, from what I've heard. It wasn't doing anything at the show, and I don't even think he had multitasking implemented then. It was one of things that "will have this and that." The desktop was pretty plain-looking, but I guess he had something special under the hood. I just pulled out the flyers I got at the show, and he calls it "priority-tasking," not multitasking. If you want, Steve, send me a SASE and I'll make a copy of the two flyers for you to drool on. :^) Leave me e-mail for my address. And I'll be away Thanksgiving week. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0
7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith) (11/11/90)
> I'm seeing vague references to yet another ST multitasker on the > Citadel BBS network. The name is SliccTop, and it supposedly > multitasks GEM and TOS programs. If anyone has further info, > especially a press release, I'd appreciate receiving a copy. > The last ST Report had a press release. The brief intro to the press release raved about how this went beyond RTX and MiNT by providing multitasking to GEM programs. Curiously, though, the press release itself says: ... "TOS" and "TTP" programs are a special case. Without SLICCDOS installed, queued processing is suspended while "TOS" and "TTP" programs are executing. With SLICCDOS installed, "TOS" and "TTP" programs run directly on the desktop in user sizable windows; and queued processing continues just as it would for any desktop application. [ "Another product, SLICCDOS, which will be released in 4 to 5 months, will completely replace the file management system on the Atari." from earlier in the press release ] ... Yes, now there is true multitasking on ATARI . . . and a system far superior to any other in the marketplace. But, that does not mean that your system is now capable of executing multiple Atari programs concurrently. Many of the developers who designed software for use on the Atari have designed it in such a way as to prevent efficient multitasking, and in some cases, even made their software totally incompatible with a multitasking system by use of what may be termed as system-hacking technology. ... To avoid the disasters of system crashes resulting from attempting to multitask conflicting hacker software, SLICCWARE has chosen to run the entire Atari operating system as though it were a single task. To further avoid problems, the major operating system functions such as disk access and window control are constantly monitored, even if the major portion of SLICCTOP has been swapped out at the user's request while an Atari program is executing. The result, the user may only run one Atari program at a time. He may, however, run that program while queued processing is taking place. In other words, SLICCTOP doesn't multitask ANY Atari programs! What it does seem to provide are background file copies, disk formatting, and printing. Modules are promised to do other applications in the background; but the bottom line is that you have to buy these modules from SLICCWARE. You can't do a compile in the background and play a game in the foreground unless either the compiler or the game is written specifically for SLICCTOP. This, of course, can be very useful; but it's hardly a new situation. RTX and MiNT both provide essentially the same facilities, with the added bonus of not requiring you to buy another product 4 or 5 months from now to multitask TOS and TTP programs. -- Eric R. Smith email: Dept. of Mathematics ersmith@uwovax.uwo.ca University of Western Ontario ersmith@uwovax.bitnet London, Ont. Canada N6A 5B7 ph: (519) 661-3638
ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Gerald Greenberg) (11/11/90)
In article <1990Nov10.081704.7494@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes: >steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes: > >- I'm seeing vague references to yet another ST multitasker on the >- Citadel BBS network. The name is SliccTop, and it supposedly >- multitasks GEM and TOS programs. If anyone has further info, >- especially a press release, I'd appreciate receiving a copy. >I saw it at San Jose WOA. It wasn't much at the time, but it seems >like he's (forget his name) fixed it up since then, from what I've >heard. It wasn't doing anything at the show, and I don't even think >he had multitasking implemented then. It was one of things that >"will have this and that." The desktop was pretty plain-looking, but >I guess he had something special under the hood. >I just pulled out the flyers I got at the show, and he calls it >"priority-tasking," not multitasking. If you want, Steve, send me a >SASE and I'll make a copy of the two flyers for you to drool on. :^) >Leave me e-mail for my address. And I'll be away Thanksgiving week. > Ed Krimen ............................................... > ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico > ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 > / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0 Better yet, Ed, why not post the address of (forgot his name) and that way everyone can get the info...that is, of course, if there is some sort of contact address on the flyers. --Gerry
ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (11/11/90)
ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Gerald Greenberg) writes: - Better yet, Ed, why not post the address of (forgot his name) and - that way everyone can get the info...that is, of course, if there is - some sort of contact address on the flyers. :^) Good idea. Unfortunately, there isn't any address or phone number on either of the flyers I have. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0
uace0@menudo.uh.edu (Michael B. Vederman) (11/11/90)
Actually, the 'priority tasking' erally doesn't mean too much to the real world GEM/TOS user. It boils down to that you can do desktop functions enmasse and simultaneously, and even when you are in a program (supposedly), but you can only run one GEM app, and you can't even multitask TOS programs, because it isn't a TOS multitasker like MicroRTX or MiNT. To get any special GEM multitasking, you'd have to right for his specific library calls. Don't get me wrong, he has spent a _great_ deal of time working on it, but I fear it is too late to be accepted as the multitasking answer... - mike -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Double Click Me | Double Click Software | P.O. Box 741206 | Houston, Tx, 77274 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Voice: (713)977-6520 | DC DESKTOP | DC FORMATTER | DC UTILITIES | and others
manes@vger.nsu.edu (11/14/90)
In article <7734.273bf76f@uwovax.uwo.ca>, 7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith) writes: > ... Yes, now there is true multitasking on ATARI . . . and a system far > superior to any other in the marketplace. But, that does not mean that Before I go out and throw my Amiga into a great pond somewhere, could you possibly tell me why this multitasking system for the atari is "far superior to any other in the marketplace"? If you meant this as a snide comment, then err, why did you bother? > -- > Eric R. Smith email: > Dept. of Mathematics ersmith@uwovax.uwo.ca > University of Western Ontario ersmith@uwovax.bitnet > London, Ont. Canada N6A 5B7 > ph: (519) 661-3638 -mark= +--------+ ================================================== | \/ | Mark D. Manes "Mr. AmigaVision" | /\ \/ | manes@vger.nsu.edu | / | (804) 683-2532 "Make up your own mind! - AMIGA" +--------+ ==================================================
7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith) (11/15/90)
In article <235.273ff389@vger.nsu.edu>, manes@vger.nsu.edu writes: > In article <7734.273bf76f@uwovax.uwo.ca>, 7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith) writes: >> ... Yes, now there is true multitasking on ATARI . . . and a system far >> superior to any other in the marketplace. But, that does not mean that > > Before I go out and throw my Amiga into a great pond somewhere, could you > possibly tell me why this multitasking system for the atari is "far > superior to any other in the marketplace"? > > If you meant this as a snide comment, then err, why did you bother? The quote above comes from the press release about SLICCTOP; I'm sorry if this is unclear. My own opinion is that SLICCTOP's claim is pure hyperbole. It sounds like an interesting product, but not necessarily any "superior" to RTX (which at the least has the advantage of being a mature product) or to my own MiNT system. In any event, I think the context makes it clear that the discussion is about *atari* multitasking systems only, i.e. SLICCTOP is claiming that their system is the best multitasking system *for the atari*. I doubt that even SLICCWARE would claim that their system is better than, say, NeXTStep. -- Eric R. Smith email: Dept. of Mathematics ersmith@uwovax.uwo.ca University of Western Ontario ersmith@uwovax.bitnet London, Ont. Canada N6A 5B7 ph: (519) 661-3638