From: chawdry@dorothy.cis.ohio-state.edu (rehan nisar chawdry)
Subject: Re: Benefits of OS/2?
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 04:24:14 GMT

In article <4107@sumax.seattleu.edu> khamer@sumax.seattleu.edu (Little Kenny Hamer) writes:
>

>Item 2: Mutitasking
>
>      This does seem to be the battle cry these days.  Sorry, I must be a 
>neanderthal, but I do not really multitask.  Nor does anyone I have ever seen
>(at least on a personal computer...  ).  People keep multiple apps open at
>a time, but few actually *use* tham at the same time.  By way of example:
>

Well, I'll comment on one aspect of your post and that is the multitasking
part.  Your understanding of multitasking is a little superficial in view (no
flame intended).  From what I understand, you're thinking that one person 
cannot use more than one app at a time -- I'll agree with you completely.  In
this sense multitasking is only beneficial for the user that performs
downloads, formats disks, and then REALLY works on one specific app, say
a word processor.

What OS/2 implements, though, is a much more elegant form of multitasking
called multithreading.  Multitasking relies on the user calling up two or
more apps *HIMSELF* and letting them run their merry way.  Of course you can't
expect the user to *USE* both at once -- how can the mouse cursor by in two
places at one time, how can typing come to two windows at the same time, etc.
This is what you might be used to with Windows, Desqview, Geoworks, etc.

Multithreading, however, relies on the *COMPUTER* calling up several apps and
*INSTRUCTING* them to perform a specific task simultaneosly.  In Windows, if
you issue a print command, you have to wait for your app to process a page, and
wait some more while the data is transferred to Print Manager.  Then, printing
goes on in the backround.  While all this is happening, you can't do *ANYTHING*
.  

In OS/2, if you issue a print command, the cursor is returned *IMMEDIATELY*.
The app will call a program that runs in the backround and instructs it to
start printing page 1.  The app may then call another instance of that same
program and instruct it to start printing page 2 *AT THE SAME TIME*.  That 
app can call as many instances of that printing module and all of it happens
in the backround.  Meanwhile, while you have control of the cursor, you may
want to open 4 files in a word processor to compare them.  Issue 4 open
commands within 10 seconds and your word processor will call 4 "open" modules
that each begin to load the data files.  So, there would be 8 programs
running simulataneously -- 4 "open file" programs and 4 "print file" programs.
While each is running, you the user still have control over the mouse and
any input you give.  And looking at the big picture, you the user are still
only using one app.  It's just that that app is running several programs
in the backround.  That's multithreading and that's why apps specifically
designed for OS/2 2.0 will handily run circles around Windows apps (in
performance, I mean, not necessarily functionality.  That will change of
course when Ami Pro is *WRITTEN* not *PORTED* for OS/2).

	-- Rehan --


Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc