jtn@zodiac.ADS.COM (John Nelson) (11/14/89)
Hi all. Well thanks everybody for the responses concerning my question about parameter blocks and trying to find out whether a file is a folder or a file. I just wrote some functions to access the parameter blocks. Now another question has come up. We're intersted in writing a system that is composed of many processes all talking to each other and passing data back and forth. Even under MultiFinder I haven't seen a lot of this done so I conclude that it is an ineffecient and difficult to program sort of thing to do. Is multitasking difficult to do on the Mac? Is it effecient? Creating seperate processes would make the architecture of our system nice and clean, but if it's going to load the machine needlessly then we don't want it. Can anyone provide pointers to technical notes or other references concerning MultiFinde and MultiTasking (and XCMDS too I guess). Thanks! -- John T. Nelson UUCP: sun!sundc!potomac!jtn Advanced Decision Systems Internet: jtn@potomac.ads.com 1500 Wilson Blvd #512; Arlington, VA 22209-2401 (703) 243-1611
mnkonar@gorby.SRC.Honeywell.COM (Murat N. Konar) (11/15/89)
In article <9775@zodiac.ADS.COM> jtn@zodiac.ADS.COM (John Nelson) writes: >Now another question has come up. We're intersted in writing a system >that is composed of many processes all talking to each other and >passing data back and forth. Even under MultiFinder I haven't seen a... > >Is multitasking difficult to do on the Mac? Is it effecient? Gawd! The true vs. fake multitasking wars are about to heat up again. Anyway, if you can't wait for Apple's implementation of InterApplication Communication (System 7), there was an IAC driver article in some MacTutors within the last year and a half or so. ____________________________________________________________________ Have a day. :^| Murat N. Konar Honeywell Systems & Research Center, Camden, MN mnkonar@SRC.honeywell.com (internet) {umn-cs,ems,bthpyd}!srcsip!mnkonar(UUCP)
tjf@lanl.gov (Tom J Farish) (11/18/89)
Hi...No flames, please. The Amiga computer from commodore runs 680X0 with 6888X support with multitasking. It is a VERY capable machine with the OS in software and video/graphics in firmware. I've heard that multitasking has been dropped from system 7 for the Mac...Why?
kent@sunfs3.camex.uucp (Kent Borg) (11/21/89)
In article <36687@lanl.gov> tjf@lanl.gov (Tom J Farish) writes: >I've heard that multitasking has been dropped from system 7 for the >Mac...Why? You are wrong, it hasn't been dropped. System 7.0 never was to add ``preemtive multitasking''. ``Cooperative multitasking'' has been here for a long time. I can print while downloading while talking to our Unix machine while compiling while looking at a little round-windowed clock while...until I run out of computrons and things get too slow. Yes, things will come to a stop if one of the programs decides to never yield any cpu time. Wait at least until *8.0* to fix that. -- Kent Borg kent@lloyd.uucp 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)