🚀 go-pugleaf

Kenneth Jason Fair (kjfair@midway.uchicago.edu) wrote:
: In article <19960129.118D5D0.13F30@olympus.net>, dons@olympus.net (Don
: Schmelling) wrote:
: 
: >Nevin ":-]" Liber (nevin@CS.Arizona.EDU) wrote:
: 
: >: What issue?  Someone comes up with a brain-dead example that exploits a
: >: weakness of a system.  Big deal.  The question that is important to me,
: >: and most others, is how often does that situation come up in Real Life? 
: >: The infinite loop above happens about as often as the fork() bomb does on
: >: Unix.  Theoretically possible; in reality, rarely.
: >
: >The issue is that a loop like the one above will defeat the
: >"multitasking" abilities of a cooperative multitasking os.
: >: 
: >: This example give me absolutely no insight into comparing the two systems,
: >: as it isn't something that people tend to buy computers for.
: >
: >The insight it gives into comparing the two systems is that
: >it will take up all of the cpu on a cooperative multitasking system
: >while a PMT system will just run it as a task that does next
: >to nothing.
: 
: And again, so what?  If I hit my computer with a sledgehammer, it
: won't work at all.  That's why I don't go around hitting my computer
: with sledgehammers.
: 
: Does cooperative multitasking allow you to run more than one program at
: the same time?  Yes.  Does preemptive multitasking do it better?
: Perhaps, depending on the situation and the programs involved.
: Can I get my work done either way?  Yes.

And once again, I must ask the question, but how are you runing more than
one program at once in a cooperative multitasking system, while a program
like that one is being run.  The program never tells the os it is done
with the cpu and just uses up all of the cpu.  If you are only running one
task that gets all of the cpu then you are not multitasking.

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                                      | "Do you hear what I hear?
Don Schmelling   Port Angeles, WA USA |  Doors are slamming shut
    A1200/540/CD + A1230 50/50/8      |  Limit your imaginaton,
           OMNIA EXTARES              |     keep you where they must"
                                                  Metallica
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