From: David Schultz (evil_genius_at_mac.com)
Date: Tue Feb 24 2004 - 05:27:37 PST
On 2/24/04 12:09 AM, "newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net" <newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net>
wrote:
> In this context, "preemptive" means that the OS takes control over the
> computer's resources: a process is granted use of the CPU for a certain
> small amount of time, then the OS snatches the CPU from it and another
> process may use the processor, and so on. No process can possibly
> monopolize the CPU. Under a cooperative multitasking regime, it is really
> the processes themselves that are in control: when a process decides it
> may let the other processes play with the CPU for a while, it may do so,
> but if it doesn't, then it has the computer all for itself. This is
> generally considered to be a bad thing, and in most cases it is; on the
> other hand, applications like Virtual PC did run much better under Mac OS
> 9, where they could monopolize the CPU while in the foreground, so this
> behaviour was sometimes even useful.
>
Michael
Have you checked out "cunning fox" yet? Its a Mac OS X utility that puts a
graphic face on the unix nice command, allowing you to literally stop any
processor activity with any app, their demo of it shows a mac running
several apps, including photoshop. They want to run a filter, so they select
all the other apps, hit the stop sign, and photoshop's speed jumps right up.
Just mention it because I bought it and want to try it out on VPC
performance, and your note reminded me.
DVS
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