CompuServe Messages

Can't help but agree with you on this point. I'm sure there will be many programs that suddenly grab the machine at some point, and don't give it back until that operation is finished. Unless the programmer has another task running in another window while they're working on it, they'll never notice – but the users will. DOS people will be very exciting about non-preemptive multitasking. Five years ago, when the Amigaphiles were jumping up and down about it, DOS users insisted that they didn't need it. Mostly because Microsoft told them they didn't need it, I think. 🙂 It will take a few months at least before the Windows love-fest ends, and columnists and users begin to understand the seemingly esoteric distinction between preemptive and non-preemptive multitasking. On the other hand, your example program breaks the rules of Windows. You're supposed to hand off control, or other programs are locked out. Did you change your program to do so? I know this is a niggling point, but you can also write Amiga programs that take over the machine and prevent other tasks from running… When the crying and screaming gets loud enough, don't you think Microsoft will drop in true preemptive multitasking?