🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <15582@louie.udel.EDU> new@udel.EDU (Darren New) writes:

> You can just boost the priority of your task temporarily.
> Using Forbid() is needed if any task could screw you up, like while
> you are walking the free memory lists (since any task could AllocMem
> and change pointer out from under you). If you only wish to
> keep a particular task from running while you are, push your
> pripority up or even better push the priority of the other task
> down.   -- Darren

Let me guess, you haven't taken any courses in operating systems yet;
have you?  Can you say "unreliable methods of insuring serialization?"
 :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 

Why do I feel like this is a good time for a kroan?

I think it's time for someone to write up a big article with tons of
sample code about using semaphores so that everyone can start using
them with ease.

I would also like to see a version of AmigaDOS come out that has
semaphores all over the place to make Forbid() obsolete; and in fact
C-A could then tell developers that Forbid() and Permit() will not
exist in the next release and they have until then to stop using them.
Sort of like the VAX VMS manual "Obsolete features" which explains all
the system calls that DEC wants to remove but is giving programmers
warning.  (oh yeeeaaah, someone encourageing C-A to be more like DEC :-)

-Tom
-- 
 Tom Limoncelli -- tlimonce@drunivac.Bitnet -- limonce@pilot.njin.net
       Drew University -- Box 1060, Madison, NJ -- 201-408-5389
   Standard Disclaimer: I am not the mouth-piece of Drew University