Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!super!udel!mmdf
From: rsine@nswc-wo.arpa
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Multitasking
Message-ID: <4289@louie.udel.EDU>
Date: 28 Sep 88 16:54:05 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 58


I know I really shouldn't be writing this here, but I can't let something
this blatant go by and perhaps give other net users the wrong idea.  Get 
ready to be blasted David.

In message-Id: <2259@ssc-vax.UUCP> David Geary writes:

>    I am teaching C on a Vax here at work, and I know *nothing*
>    about VMS.  I don't know how or *if* it's possible to start up
>    another process in VMS.

First of all it is possible.  Secondly, there's many ways to do it.
The easiest of which is by using the Spawn command.  I would strongly
suggest you read the DCL dictionary.  If you don't read the whole book
at least look up the Spawn command.  If you're teaching programming on
a VAX/VMS system the people ought to be able to write their own program
to execute the compile/link as a seperate process while they are editing.
I suggest you give the RTL book a looking over.  Then graduate to system
services, please.  I don't write Fortran code I write VMS Fortran code.
Get the distinction?  

>(nor do I care ;-)

You certainly should care and I don't think it's funny.  Read on.

>    I have about 12 students, and about 25 terminals.  After one
>    class of painful waiting for the linker on the Vax, many of my
>    students have learned a neat trick:
>    Compile and link on one terminal (about a 3 minute process - yes
>    about as slow as compiling C on an Amiga off floppies), and then
>    move over to another terminal and log into it, and use the
>    editor while the linker does it's work.

That "trick" is probably helping to cause the compiles/links to take
so long.  One of the worst thangs you can do to degradate the performance
of a VAX/VMS system is to have a bunch of logins taking place.  If my
VAX/VMS system compiled programs as slowly as my Amiga using floppies
I'd be tuning my system.  

>    Think my students would appreciate multitasking? 

They are already using one of the most powerful multitasking/multiprocess/
multiuser operating systems known to mankind.  You must be kidding, to
compare the AmigaDos operating system to the robust VMS operating system
is a futile practice of obsurdity.

>    Well, it was the ONLY reason I chose the Amiga over the Atari
>    ST.  I debated about which one to buy (I have friends who have
>    both machines), but multitasking was the feature that sold me.

That's the exact reason I bought the Amiga over the ST, I wanted multitasking
like I have at work (i.e. VMS).

If all of your comments were a joke please excuse me I thought you were
serious.  If you wish to discuss this further (or seek assistance) I am 
on ArpaNet - rsine@nswc-wo.arpa

Ran