From: jerry@msi.com (Jerry Shekhel)
Subject: Re: CBM mention on 12/11/92 Computer Chronicles
Organization: Molecular Simulations, Inc.
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 17:29:59 GMT
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Gregory R Block (bloc1469@ee.ee.uwm.edu) wrote:
:
: >Don't you think that for some people, VM, MP, DIG, etc., may be worth a few
: >extra CPU cycles?  If real-time response is always the most important thing,
: >why do all these other OS's bother with all these other things?
:
: With VM, it isn't the CPU cycles that drop your performance like a
: rock...
:

That's not fair.  While it's not swapping, we're talking about a few extra
CPU cycles.  When it is swapping, it's running a heck of a lot faster than the
equivalent non-VM system under the same load :-)

:
: And how many real-time OSes _HAVE_ VM?  Think about it.  Sure, you'll
: see lots of bloated pigs with it, but...
:

Yes, yes, yes -- most of them don't.  But why is it that you feel that
real-time response is absolutely more important than VM?  Don't you agree
that it may depend on what you need to use the machine for?

:
: Take SVGA for example.  What is
: it?  Is it 640x480, as the original SVGA cards were, or is it
: 1024x768?  800x600?  Is it a 24-bit pallete instead of a 15-bit one?
: Is it a truecolor display?  Nobody knows.)
:

VGA is 640x480x4.  SVGA is 800x600x4.  And there does seem to be a standard
in SVGA -- Microsoft's SVGA Windows driver supports all SVGA's.  The rest
are extended SVGA, with resolutions up to 1280x1024x8, 800x600x15, and
640x480x24.  There are several different extended SVGA chipsets, and they
are not compatible.  So what?  Load the appropriate driver, and all Windows
software works automatically.  It's just like the Mac world -- all the cards
are different, but they all work with all Mac software, and nobody cares
about "standards".  Is there some reason why they should?

:
: >And that much more advantageous!
:
: Again, it IS an advantage.  But that advantage is greatly reduced by
: it's NECESSITY.  That same advantage exists for nearly all
: productivity software on the IBM, each coming with its own graphics
: drivers.  On those systems, it's referred to as a pain in the ass, not
: an advantage.
:

That's incorrect.  If you develop your software for the Windows platform
(and Windows development is now the majority in the PC world), all you have
to do is use the Windows API.  No worries about graphics hardware, chipsets,
standards, etc.  Your comment is true for DOS software, but not for Windows.

:
: It doesn't happen on the Amiga.  It's real cute to watch stuff on an
: IBM system running Windows because the sound is nearly NEVER on cue.
:

I have never seen what you describe.  On the other hand, I don't have much
Windows sound software.  I do play background music sometimes, but I guess
that doesn't have anything to be "on cue" with.

:
: I don't believe that's the only reason, I never have, and your point
: below proves it.  I do know a good bit about Windows, and frankly, the
: more I learn about it, the less I like it.
:

You're well within your rights :-)

:
: "practically no DOS code is being used".  That is NOT _NONE_.  And if
: it wishes to escape the kludges brought from MS-DOS itself, then it
: MUST be NONE.  DOS must be totally unnecessary as anything but
: bootstrap.  You don't use bootstrap code within your OS, do you?
:

OK.  If you run Windows with the FastDisk driver, DOS isn't even used for
file management.  I can't say that no DOS code is being used, because I
haven't seen the Windows source code, and you can't say otherwise for the
same reason.  However, with FastDisk, Windows manages *all* the hardware
devices in the system.  Tell me, then, how is it still not an OS?

: Greg
--
+-------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------+
| JERRY J. SHEKHEL  | Molecular Simulations Inc. | Time just fades the pages |
| Drummers do it... |     Burlington, MA USA     | in my book of memories.   |
|    ... In rhythm! |        jerry@msi.com       |         -- Guns N' Roses  |
+-------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------+