From: garyd@netcom.com (Gary Dietz)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Windows does not multitask (repost)
Date: 13 Apr 92 13:26:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.!6wj-!q.garyd
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

Windows ain't Multi-tasking, dudes and dudettes!

I LIKE Windows!  It has its place!

But lets quit calling it what it isn't, alright?  Here are *some*
SPECIFIC examples and scenarios of how it really isn't up to the
multi-tasking label.  I have a 386-33 clone, 8 Mb RAM, video card with
3.1 ET4000 driver running in 800 x 600 16 color mode, running Novell,
Win 3.1 GA:

1) I try to copy a network subdirectory to a floppy to take home.
   a) Open Fileman.  Drag and drop the subdirectory over the B: drive.
   b) SMARTDRV installed, so the subdirectory BLAZES to memory and
      "returns control" to Fileman.
   c) But, as the machine copies from RAM to my B: drive I CANNOT DO
      ANYTHING ELSE!!!!  So why so I care how damn fast SMARTDRV is
      when my machine is still tied up for 2 minutes?

2) I am a beta tester for a software package, so it crashes often.
   With 3.1, I can CTRL-ALT-DEL out of a crashed session of this
   product, preserving any other open apps.  But, I cannot re-start the
   app -- I must reboot anyway!  The only thing I've gained here is the
   ability to save my other open apps before rebooting!

   Memory still gets corrupted, people!  Isn't it supposed to be
   protected?  Don't tell me -- it's just a beta test problem.
   If a session crashes, my OS should get rid of it and
   recover.

   (And really, this isn't just the Beta product I am testing.  . . this
   same sceanrio has happened to me with WinWord 1.1a and 2.0a, although
   not as often.  . . )

3) Formatting a diskette takes over my machine.  What a royal PAIN!

4) I have YET to be able to set a DOS window's time slices effectively
   so that I can use the help compiler in that window, monitor its
   status in that window, and do other things in another
   session.  The system just won't give me the power.

5) While a long print job is spooling through Printman to the network
   spooler, I can do NOTHING!!!!  Well, not true -- I can open the
   Printman window and ask to see the queue -- but I've timed that
   simple task at OVER 1 minute while I was printing (and it slowed the
   spooler down.)

6) When I open a resoure file with Borland tools, I can't do
   anything else while it is opening.  Yeah, I can move my mouse to
   another window and make it active (after a painfully long wait), but
   can I do anything without dragging the system down?

7) Plus, I still reboot AT LEAST 15 times a day.

What is this nonsense that Windows 3.0 / 3.1 is a "multitasking"
environment?  I work in an environment where doing more than one thing
at once on my workstation is *essential* to my job (and for that
matter, essential for our product.)  And now that I must work in a Win
3.1 environment, I get really frustrated.

This may seem like a "pro-OS/2" post (I personally prefer the OS/2
enviroment that lets me really multitask).  But instead, think of it as
a pro-multitasking environment post.  Just give me SOMETHING that'll let
me get my job done!

I work for a company that creates Windows software, and therefore
have no choice but to use Windows (I've ordered OS/2 for my home
machine, though).  Windows works GREAT if you want to switch between
tasks, or do just one thing at a time.  And if you want your company to
make money, Win is the way to develop -- for now. . . unless you are
developing a product designed to work along with other products.

But dammit, call it what it is!  Win 3.1 is a pretty, DOS extending,
slickly packaged task switcher!

-- 
garyd@netcom.com  "If I hugged you any closer, I'd be behind you" - G. Marx