Why You Should Avoid Processes

[TokenHerbz]

O M F G ???

i use mass proc's?? is that bad?

[[Gandalf]]

Matters what you mean by proc.

In Turing procedure = proc, process = process.

[beard0]

Martin, I know I'm somewhat late, but a perfect example of a program that requires a process:

code:

var connected := false var userString := "" var ch : string (1) var stream : int var inAddr : string process GetConnect     stream := Net.WaitForConnection (3942, inAddr)     connected := true end GetConnect fork GetConnect loop     if hasch then         getch (ch)         userString += ch     end if     exit when connected end loop if stream > 0 then     if userString = "" then         put : stream, "The user did not enter anything."     else         put : stream, userString     end if end if

Otherwise, I agree that processes should not be used - Net.WaitForConnection is the only legitimate use I see for them.

[[Gandalf]]

Or if you want to play Turing's music (ie. play()) in the background. If you are playing it from a file, anything like Music.PlayFileLoop() will work without a process.

[beard0]

For my high scool programming class we used the old DOS Turing. I wanted to have background music in my final project which meant, in the DOS version, using play("abcd") etc. The problem was that the play command returned as it began to play the last note only. Thankfully, we were graced with a function playdone, which allowed me to do this:

code:

var music : string := ">8gf+fe-4e8<g+a>4c8ac4d<" var place := 1 proc background     if playdone then         play (music (place))         place += 1         if place > length (music) then             place := 1         end if         background     end if end background

And then I placed a call to background all throughout my code. This way, I only ever played one note at a time, so the call returned instantly.

Note: this does not work under windows turing - it executes, yes, but doesn't sound right. Under the old DOS Turing though, it gave my program great background music.

[[Gandalf]]

Interesting, good old DOS Turing .

The reason why it doesn't sound correctly is because when OOT plays a sound, the last note is always cut off. Overall, Turing's music capabilities suck as much as or more than it does in all aspects .

[beard0]

Yeah, I know about the last note cut-off. It also cuts off the last note before a rest ("p"). In DOS it cuts off the last note played in the program. Such that somehow, only the final c of the second scale would be cut off in the program below. I have no idea how it managed to accomplish that. :shock:

code:

play("cdefg>abc<") play("cdefg>abc<")

[jrblast]

[Gandalf] wrote:

Personally, I have never had to use proccess' except for music - just stick to procedures.

Same ...But till now i didnt really know there was a difference I guess thats what happens when you rush through everything skipping the unnescessary basics...

Oh, and I used to think fork is supposed to do that o.O

[Guest]

Well one thing that helps a process is a delay. Look what this does compared to Cervantes program on the first page:

code:

process greetings (word : string)     loop         put word         delay(1)     end loop end greetings fork greetings ("Hi") fork greetings ("Ho")

[/code]

[Tony]

something a bit more interesting on processes

[Bored]

Well I just finished reading this argument and would like to offer to you a program I recently made that I actually felt justified in using a process (not the process DrawVariables, that was just lazyness and I'll be fixing that). Martin if you are still dead set againsts proceces I would like you to try and make this program without them yet allow for the capabilities that mine has, the ease of adding into another program, and the ability to run in parrallel with any runtime program without having to alter either program. although it is not yet finished I do beleive it is a great example of the correct use of processes.

[isaiahk9]

Wait a minute! Processes being evil would explain why my main menu in my game is still malfunctioning. But I have 2 questions on how to avoid processes :
1. What if I need
a ) music playing
b ) a random integer is called (in an infinite loop) and according to the number between 1 and six, one of six animations will run. One animation has sound.
c ) an infinite loop asking the user to click whichever button he wants on the menu

2. And, a larger problem for my game, I need going :
a ) two processes things for people controlling their avatars
b ) gravity simultaneously going
c ) items to randomly appear from the sky
d ) music to play
e ) background to load over and over again (its animated)
Whoever has player Super Smash Brothers, or fighter games in general would get the picture.

If anybody could help me it would be much appreciated. If you do help me, your name will be listed in the credits and so will anyone you reference.
Thanx

[r691175002]

I have yet to find a situation where a process is justified other than for blocking IO or if you need to take advantage of multiple cores (And that should only be done if you know what you are doing).
IMO It is a bad idea to start tossing threads at every problem if you don't even know what a mutex or race condition is, even if the language cleans up after you.

[Vermette]

Here's a good question to ask then:

Does Turing support a built in mutex facility? If no explicitly, then what operations (if any) are atomic to create a semaphore or some other kind of interprocess communication?

[hahd]

um processes arent tht bad, they worked out fine on my christmas card but terminating a process at the right time might be a bit trick for that in turing you are welcome to use the return command which immediately exits a process. But View.Update.Area works like a charm as well. I used a combination of both in my christmas card however if i were redo i would do it without process.