Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.sys.acorn,comp.sys.mac.mis
Subject: Re: New MultiTOS PC (Atari Falcon)
From: Gavin.Flower@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Gavin Flower)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 20:27:55 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Comp. Sci., Victoria Uni. of Wellington, New Zealand.

In article <BJDBoB28w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:
>Gavin.Flower@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Gavin Flower) writes:
>> In article <HVy2NB7w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>> >Gavin.Flower@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Gavin Flower) writes:
[...]
>Yeah, sorry.  It's actually a whopping >ten< letters, isn't it?  Oh, the
>luxury.

As I said ALL O/S's have their weaknoesses!


>
>>                                 Besides which, that is filing system
>> specific, and Risc-OS can support various filing systems.
>
>Yeah, but if I install a filing system with (say) 32-character filenames,
>would all my software still work?

If it knew about this filing system, and was designed to handle the
long names.

[...]
>> Does it fully support a 3 button mouse as standard?  
>
>Believe it or not, some of us don't want a 3 button mouse.  Especially not
>without standardization over which button does what.  My Mac's trackball has
>one button, and that does me well enough.

There is fairly good standardisation of what mouse button does what,
especially within Risc-OS.  There is heavy pressure put on S/W
developers to be fully Risc-OS compliant.  Having used a variety of
mice with different numbers of buttons on several different window
systems, I find that Risc-OS with its 3 button mouse is the best.


>
>> Are menus context sensitive?  
>
>I hope not.  Context sensitive menus are bloody confusing.  (Go to
>comp.human-factors if you want to discuss it.)

I first learnt to use a mouse on an Apple Lisa, and first read about
the WIMP concept in a Scientific American article on the Xerox Star.

I found the Arcorn Archimedes Risc-OS WIMP, easy to learn, and much
more usable.  It was only when I had to go back to using a Mac, did I
fully appreciate the advantages of the Risc-OS WIMP and its
*effective* use of a three button mouse.  I first used a 2 & 3 button
mice when I was supporting a project management package on DOS
machines, which needed a mouse (well you could use it without, but
this was even more painful).  I'm fully aware of the problems of
inconsistent use of mouse buttons. 

In Risc-OS, at least, the context sensitive menu system works well,
can't comment on other such systems.  It is a lot quiker than the
Aplle method of relying on a menu bar.  The Arc has an Icon bar which
is not quite the same.

If you want to know in detail please email me.


>
>> Do menus stay on screen when you take your finger of the mouse?  
>
>Better than that, I can tear off menus and use them as tool palettes. 
>(I've heard rumours System 7.1 will do that for all menus...)

Probably is useful in places, but could lead to a lot of clutter.  I
would have to gain experience using them to comment further.
(I'll avoid repeating the negative comments about system 7, that I've
heard from Mac owners... and others.)


>
>> I suggest you develope a better understanding of Risc-OS before you
>> make critical comments on it.  I know very little about MultiTOS, so
>> I'm not about to attack it, it may have some very good features.
>
>I suggest that you get clued in to the fact that I'm a Mac owner.  I ditched
>my Atari after five years because I realized Atari was incapable of producing
>a good, modern OS.  So that's one thing we can agree on :-)

I didn't see any evidence that you might be a Mac owner from your
other post...

I scanned the Atari Newsgroups to find out more about this Falcon and
MultiTOS, but found very little, and what I did find seemed somewhat
negative, nothing to indicate why the original poster might have found
it so wonderful...

When you get a chance to test out Risc-OS 3.1, email me, I'd be
interested in your comments.  I'm forever swopping between different
WIMP systems (& other O/S's), so I tend to forget most people don't, so
I guess it's easier for me to compare O/S's more objectively.

If you ever read comp.sys.acorn for awhile, you'll note that most
contributers are familiar with at least one other WIMP system as
well - X-windows, MS-Windows, and Macs.  We also seem to be more
critical of it shortcomings, while appreciating its many advantages
over other WIMP systems.


Gavin


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